


Christmas Oneshots 2015

by GoddessofRoyalty



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, Crossdressing Kink, Fireworks, Multi, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:50:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 26,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5328095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofRoyalty/pseuds/GoddessofRoyalty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Christmas oneshots based on a prompt set I found somewhere. There will be one every day leading up to Christmas. Set in my Brothers Verse AU. Pairings will vary between the chapters, but each chapter will have the warnings/pairings required for it. Pairings and tags will be added as they become relevant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lights

**Author's Note:**

> So this is that first fic of my Christmas series. There is going to be a fic a day until Christmas! Every fic is to be set in brothers verse (or something like it) and will (hopefully) focus in on the Strife brothers but of course will involve all characters of the verse. Planning on doing 1000 words at least for each prompt but we’ll have to see how I go. 
> 
> At this point I can’t predict the pairings for this whole thing (at least re Cloud) but they’ll probably the sorts of ones I usually write about. 
> 
> Pairings for this prompt: Tifa/Cloud (which is the first time I’ve written this one)

Every year Radiant Garden would light up on the First of December with Christmas lights. No-one knew who was responsible for it or even if the city council authorised it. It was just a thing that happened. It wasn’t even the same lights that showed up each year. No, every year a different set and pattern of lights decorated the main streets of the city and everyone would once again be in awe of the creativity (and bank accounts) of whomever the source of them was.

It was an annual traditional of many residence of the town to make their way down to the main streets on the night of December 1st to see the Christmas lights turn on for the first time that year. The shops would always stay open a little later on those nights knowing that most of the town would be there to enjoy the lights and would be feeling joyous enough to empty their pockets on the merchants.

Every year the Strife brothers dragged themselves down to the main streets for the light show. They did not all come for the same reasons – Sora and Ven came for the lights, Roxas for the shopping, Vanitas came for the chance of causing chaos in the crowds, and Cloud came to see the work of his friend (not that anyone knew that). It was sort of a tradition for them despite never officially being named so and Cloud had long ago placed a ban on anything Christmas related until after the lights were turned on.

Of course Sora made up for the ban by starting the officially holiday celebrations with a bang, every year without fail.

This year he had managed to con all of his brothers into wearing Christmas party hats, and wrapped himself in tinsel so densely that everyone who ran into him was surprised he could even move. Throughout the evening he had trapped each of his brothers and wrapped tinsel around their necks before running off before they had a chance to lash out at him for it.

“Looks like he went all out this year,” Tifa commented when she saw Cloud.

“Who?” Tifa was also one of the few who knew the real source of the Christmas lights so Cloud wasn’t sure if she was talking about them or his brother.

“Sora. I have to admit I’m surprised you’d allow the choking hazard though.”  

“I didn’t. He put it on me and ran off before I could tell him not too.”

“And you didn’t take it off after he left because?” Cloud chose to remain silent at Tifa’s question and she let out a laugh.

“You’re such a good big brother.”

Cloud awkwardly tugged at the tinsel before his phone let off a chirp indicating it had received a text. “Apparently we need to go to the Main Square.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know, Ven just says we have to see it.”

“Then let’s go.”

Apparently whoever did the lights put most of the effort into the Main Square. While all the other streets seemed to have smaller themes of the holiday season the Square was the meeting place of them all. The different styles gently mixed together around the edge of the Square while the inner section, high above the heads of all the people gathered there was a collection of lights that in their changing patterns told a whole story.

“Wow,” Tifa managed to breath out as she and Cloud froze at the entry to the Square.

“You guys made it!” Roxas said, walking over to his brother’s side. “Pretty cool huh? Whoever’s behind this really went all out this year.”

“Yeah…”

“You should really wait for it to restart; the story’s great if you watch the whole thing. It’s not that long either.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Tifa said managing to drag her attention away from the lights to give Roxas a smile.

“Yeah well, I’ll leave you two too it. I’m gonna’ go back into the shop where there’s heating. Unlike Cloud I can’t fall asleep in the snow and still be fine in the morning.” Roxas tried to duck under his brother’s swing at him but failed, instead being dragged into a headlock by Cloud.

“What did you say brat?”

“Nothing Cloud!”

Tifa laughed at the two brother’s antics before turning her attention back onto the lights as they lit up for the finale of the story. Cloud let go of his brother as all the lights turned off for a few seconds before starting the story again. Roxas used the chance to run back to the heated safety of the stores.

Cloud took the two steps back so he was able to lean against the side of one of the buildings to watch the light show and soon Tifa moved so she was pressed against him. The two of them sharing some warmth in the cold night.

“Aww, aren’t you two just the cutest,” Ven said when he walked over to the pair once the story had once again been told and the square was briefly bathed in darkness. Cloud just gave his brother an unimpressed look. “It’s pretty cool though – the light show.”

“Yeah, it must have taken forever to rig up,” Tifa agreed.

“Pretty impressive no-one knew about it then isn’t it?” Ven asked and Tifa nodded. The ability to rig up and test such a visual masterpiece without anyone else knowing about it was nothing short of a miracle and everyone in the town was only going to be more desperate to find out the source of the lights after this year’s feat.

“Thanks for telling us about it,” Cloud said and his brother gave a shrug.

“No problem. I got to go though, Terra and Aqua are waiting for me.”

“Fine, just be home at a decent hour,” Cloud teasingly threatened and Ven agreed before running off.

“It’s been a good night hasn’t it?” Tifa asked as she and Cloud slowly made their way through the town idly window shopping for the gifts they would have to buy within the next 24 days.

“It has.”

“Hopefully the rest of the holidays goes as well as tonight has,” Tifa said.

“Hopefully,” Cloud agreed.


	2. Decorations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also. Where are the parents? *vague shrug* I don’t know. I can’t even decide if they’re dead or not. They just don’t show up in the fics. 
> 
> Vanitas sort of kidnapped this fic for a bit there. I’m not complaining, but yeah, that was a little weird. Other than that here is the dumb brothers bonding fic.

The Strife residence was a modest house. Big enough to allow five growing boys the space they needed without being so big as to be excessive. Still the house had two stories with a bunch of rooms on both of them.

Every year on November 2nd Sora tried to decorate it all.

Even if his brothers didn’t want to help (and Vanitas certainly claimed he didn’t) there would be no chance of getting out of it. It was near impossible to say no to Sora once he turned his puppy-eyes on you at full force and when it came to anything relating to Christmas Sora seemed to be ready to turn them on at the drop of a pin.

So all plans are abandoned and the five Strife brothers spend the day decorating the house.

They were woken that morning by the Christmas music that Sora managed to play from the speakers in the downstairs TV loud enough to reach all their rooms. Grumbling, they dragged themselves out of bed and downstairs. After a quick breakfast they started the task for the day.

The actual decorating always started with them dragging all of the Christmas decorations out of the various places they have been stored. Which every year became a game of hide-and-seek: the decorations having hid the year before and the five Strife boys trying to seek them out.

Cloud tries to avoid the game by dragging box after box of decorations up from the shed in the backyard and pilling them into the living room.

“Go help the others,” Cloud said when he found Vanitas lying on the couch, feet on the coffee table as he idly watched the Christmas special on the television.

“I will drag you off that couch if I have to,” Cloud said when Vanitas ignored him and the younger Strife dragged himself up. He knew Cloud would go through with his threat; he had done so many times in the past.

While Cloud went back to dragging the last few boxes in Vanitas went to his room. He opened a closet door or two on his way there but shut them as soon afterwards. He had no interest in trying to find any decorations or even decorating the house for Christmas at all. Once he was in his room he dug through the pile of stuff he had on his desk to find where the half empty packet of cigarettes was. After another five minute scuffle he found his lighter and walking over to the window to open it so he wouldn’t get in trouble for making the house smell of cigarette he lit one up. It was stale but would do the job. He would go back down and start helping again once he finished it; by that point hopefully most of the annoying tasks were already done.

By the time Cloud had finished dragging all the boxes from the shed and garage into the living room the remaining three brothers had finished gathering up the spare decorations from their places around the house.

Unpacking the boxes took time, but no-one was complaining. It was fun to see the decorations again and there was always a few that someone had forgotten about or which had deformed in some way during the year to a hilarious new shape. This year a Santa figure had apparently half melted around his robe creating a mottled flesh and red coloured blob that had various bits of fabric sticking out of it at odd angles. After a few minutes of making fun of it Sora began to feel sorry for the ex-Santa and had decided to add it to his collection toy that his brothers referred to as the “unlovable toys pile”.

Soon enough the boxes were empty and the decorations sorted into piles for the room they were going to go in. At that point Vanitas rejoined the group, giving his own taunts at the ex-Santa that currently rested on the mantelpiece before Sora moved it to his bedroom.

Sora gave a room to each of his brothers and they diligently moved the corresponding pile to the room and began decorating. They had learnt that it was just better to let Sora organise the day, especially after the year Roxas had tried to take charge only for the decorating to end up taking two days.

Sora moved between the rooms, taking the remaining piles of decorations to their eventual room of choice and ensuring his brothers did an acceptable job at decorating the room they had been given.

Once someone finished one room they would move on to another, until the whole house was completed. Sora going through each room once it was finished to ensure it met his requirements.

Eventually the whole house was done and the five brothers collapsed into the now decorated living room.

“Glad that’s done for another year,” Roxas groaned.

“Come on Rox, get into the holiday spirit,” Sora complained.

“I am in the holiday spirit. That doesn’t change the fact that decorating this place takes a long time.”

“Whatever, we’re free now so I’m going to go out,” Vanitas said, getting up from his chair to head back upstairs to pick up his wallet, lighter, and pack of stale cigarettes – everything he needed for a night out.

“Don’t stay out too late,” Cloud called after him but he had long given up trying to keep Vanitas in line.

“I’m going to see if Riku and Kairi are still free,” Sora said, as if his two friends would ever not be free to spend time with him.

Soon enough Roxas and Ventus also make their own excuses to go visit their friends and Cloud went to work on his bike.

That was how the day always ended every year: all the brothers going their separate ways for the night. It wasn’t that they needed space or anything, just something that happened.


	3. Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look Sora and Roxas are actually the main ones of this one, Cloud doesn’t show up at all. Aerith and Zack do and the whole plot revolves around Cloud. … I’m sorry, I’ve been replaying FFVII, they are going to sort of take over these things… 
> 
> Pairings: Riku/Sora/Kairi; Cloud/many (stated: Aerith, Tifa, Sephiroth, Zack, possibly Yuffie); Zack/Aerith

“Why does Cloud have to have so many boyfriends?” Sora complained as he and his brother made their way through the main streets of Traverse Town. They had decided to make a day trip to the other town to in order to buy their Christmas gifts in the slightly better shopping district Traverse had.

“Because he’s actually a nymphomaniac, I don’t know,” Roxas replied. “Why does it even affect you?”

“Because it’s so hard to figure out gifts for them all; Tifa, Aerith and Yuffie are easy enough but how am I supposed to think of a gift for Sephiroth!”

“Cloud’s dating Yuffie now?”

“I don’t know, but I’d feel bad if he was and I didn’t get her anything.”

“You know you’re not obligated to get gifts for them right?”

“That’s not fair though.”

“We have enough people to shop for before adding our brothers’ significant others. I’m not buying Riku and Kairi anything either. I want some money for myself.”

“Selfish,” Sora said with a pout.

 “Am not,” Roxas replied taking a playful swipe at his brother. “I’m having enough trouble trying to figure out what to get Cloud. He just buys himself whatever he wants or one of his lovers buys it for him. What are we supposed to get him?”

“I don’t know. I’ve put him on the bottom of the list to figure out later.”

“There has to be something he wants.”

“Zack would probably know,” Sora said, staring off into the crowds that filled the street.

“Yeah, so ask Zack next time we see him?” Roxas had originally planned on buying all the necessary gifts in one day but he figured he could put off Cloud’s for a little later if he had to.

“Or we could ask him now.”

“What, text him?” Roxas and Sora had been given Zack’s number years ago ‘in case of emergency’. Of course within an hour Zack had already started texting them and now regularly held text conversations with the brothers. They felt more than comfortable asking him what Cloud wanted for Christmas. Still it might take half the day for Zack to reply depending on what he was doing and Roxas really wanted to complete his Christmas shopping in one trip if at all possible.

“No, ask him. I’m pretty sure that’s him and Aerith over there,” Sora replied pointing to two people in the crowd.

Sure enough there was Aerith staring longingly at some jewellery in a shop window. A familiar set of black spikes stuck out from the pile of boxes and bags that were next to her.

“That’d work,” Roxas replied and soon the two boys were off running towards the other two.

“I see Aerith has put you hard to work,” Roxas said, stopping just before running into Zack. Sora would have ran into him if it wasn’t for Zack moving the boxes to see who was talking and instead seeing the other Strife twin coming for him.

“Well if it isn’t the baby chocobo’s – what are you two doing here?” Zack asked, carefully placing the boxes down on the ground so he could playfully grab the two boys in a headlock.

“Zack let us go,” Roxas grumbled, trying to struggle against the arm wrapped around his throat. Aerith just laughed at the scene.

“Yeah, yeah, Spike will kill me if I accidently give you brain damage or something,” Zack said, letting go of the two boys before going to stand next to Aerith, his hand comfortably settling around her waist. “What are you two doing here?”

“Christmas shopping,” Sora replied.

“Or at least we’re trying too. We can’t figure out what to get Cloud.”

“Yeah, Spike’s a hard one to buy for.”

“So what are you getting him?” Roxas asked and Aerith gave a light giggle.

“Not telling.”

“Because you don’t want us to steal your ideas or because you are protecting us from the need to use brain-bleach to remove whatever mental image your gift gives us.”

“Uhhh… which one would you prefer?”

“The first please, my poor virginal ears cannot take the second,” Roxas said.

“Don’t lie, you know I don’t like it,” Aerith playfully teased and both Roxas and Sora turned bright red.

“Annnd we’re dropping this topic,” Sora said much to the agreement of his brother.

“No fun,” Aerith said with a pout, but quickly returned to her good natured smile.

“Anyway, back on what we can get Cloud for his birthday – any suggestions?” Roxas asked.

“Why don’t you get him a gift card from that shop he buys his bike parts from? There’s no point trying to buy him something, you know how fussy he can be about his bike.” It was true Cloud was well known for being a perfectionist about his bike. Nearly all of his spare money went into the thing but everyone had to admit it did look good for its total price. Either way it would be unlikely that even if they combined their present budget Sora and Roxas would be able to afford anything Cloud wanted from the shop.

“Thanks Zack!” the twins said in unison before running off to continue their shopping before any other awkward conversation topics could be started. Aerith and Zack were long used to the brothers behaviours and didn’t feel offended at the quick departure.

The rest of their shopping trip went semi-successful. Roxas managed to complete his task of purchasing all the gifts he needed to get except one, which he didn’t mind because he had thought of getting Xion something from one of the specialty stores back in Radiant Garden anyway. Sora succeeded in getting half of the gifts he required but he had never planned on getting everything that day anyway.

By the time they caught the train home and made it back to their house it was well and truly dark. The night air reaching a freezing state that even the coats they had been wearing all day did little to protect them. They dumped their shopping into their rooms and joined their brothers for dinner before returning back to their rooms and crashing into bed. The day had been a long and tiring one and they were ready to sleep it off.


	4. Tradition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m enjoying writing this series because it’s starting to give me the chance to explore character relations I wouldn’t normally explore that much in my usual writing. I mean, I know the Final Fantasy VII characters are sort of taking over but I feel like they’re taking over in how they fit in the actual world. So it’s more exploring their relationship with the Kingdom Hearts characters then them really taking over the story. And anyway, I didn’t actually say this fic would be just a Kingdom Hearts AU – instead it’s just an exploration of Christmas in my weird mash up that is the Brothers Verse. 
> 
> Also I live in Australia. Fireworks are really illegal in Australia. Therefore I know little about them. 
> 
> Pairings: Axel/Roxas
> 
> Warnings: illegal activities, me failing to include Xion despite shipping her with the boys,

Every family has their own Christmas traditions. Some like the Strife’s decorating on the 2nd of December are just the way they do a task that has to be done. Others like how the Crescents always go camping during December make sense when you look at the members of the family. There are some still that seem so contrary to the people but are just the thing that they do such as how Aerith and Olette always end up at the firing range on Christmas Eve. Then there are those that can only be called explosive.

“Where are we going?” Roxas asked as he walked between the two redheads as they went further and further into the snow-covered ruins that surrounded the town. It was getting late in the day and the sun had started to set during their journey leaving a deep red glow being the only light over the half-standing buildings.

“Far enough out that no-one notices what we’re doing so I don’t get arrested,” Reno replied.

“Can you even get arrested?” Roxas was pretty sure the ‘secret job’ Reno had somehow gave him diplomatic immunity

“Probably. I’d rather not find out though.”

“Okay, second question. Is this some plan to kill me?”

“What!? No!” Axel looked honestly offended at Roxas’ question, but Roxas had known his boyfriend for long enough to know he was just putting it on.

“Your brother would skin me alive if any harm came to you that could at all be blamed on me. So no, I won’t be taking part in any Roxas killing.”

“And if you weren’t secretly afraid my brother could kill you and get away with it?”

“Would depend on the price offered,” Reno replied with a shrug and Roxas took two steps closer to Axel.

“Your brother scares me.”

Axel gave a snort, “Reno’s mostly harmless, and anyway you’re with me and I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“Sure because you are a big hero who needs me to kill any bugs that fly into his room at night when I’m over,” Roxas replied and Axel blushed. Reno gave a snort of laughter from where he was walking a few steps ahead of them.

“You promised you would never speak of that again.”

“Yeah, the first time it happened.”

“You two coming!” Reno called from where he had managed to get ahead of them. 

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming don’t get your panty’s in a twist,” Axel called back he and Roxas quickened their pace.

“Are we far enough yet? I feel like we’ve been walking for hours,” Roxas asked. It wasn’t that he minded the walking, but he would rather spend the least possible time in the freezing wasteland of old-town ruins that surrounded Radiant Garden.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just past those ruins.”

“What exactly is it that requires you to be so far away from town.”

“Not going to tell you – wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise,” Axel said and Roxas rolled his eyes.

“Yeah ruin the amazing surprise of… illegal fireworks. You somehow got your hands on illegal fireworks. I’m not sure if that’s the dumbest or coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Sure enough there was a grouping of four boxes all filled with various kinds of fireworks. Suddenly Cloud’s grumbles at the fireworks that would show up in the sky sometime during December that weren’t connected to any town-sanctioned celebration made sense. Roxas bet Cloud knew exactly who was responsible for them and while he was always on the roof of the Strife house set up before they started his relationship with Reno made enjoying them a complicated matter.

“Does my brother know you’re showing me this?”

“No, and you’re not going to tell him, ‘cause you’ll be in just as much trouble as me,” Reno replied.

“Debatable.”

“Come on Rox, don’t be responsible for my brother’s horrible death at the hands of your brother.”

“Fine, just give me something to light these things with,” Roxas replied and Axel handed him a lighter.

“Well I’m gonna’ leave you two love-birds in peace while I go set up the grand finally of the night,” with that Reno was around another set of ruins with one of the boxes of fireworks leaving Axel and Roxas to the remaining three.

“Are all of these ours?” Roxas asked, staring at awe at the filled boxes of fireworks that remained.

“Yeah, he probably has some more hidden behind those rocks or he’s already started setting it up today before he came and got us. I don’t even know what my brother is doing most of the time,” Axel said picking up a bottle rocket from one of the boxes and lighting it.

“That’s probably a good thing,” Roxas replied, going through one of the boxes to see the true spread of fireworks they had access too.

For the next two hours the two of them continued playing with the fireworks. Sometimes they aimed them at rocks or ruins of the old town. One time they crumbled a wall and Roxas nervously glanced back at the main town, half expecting someone to notice the commotion and come to stop them. No-one did though and the two of them managed to have the time completely alone with their small arsenal of explosions.

“Yo! Fair warning I’m about to set the rest of them off in about 5 minutes, might want to move a little away!” Reno said, briefly appearing over the ruins he had vanished behind them again.

Axel held out his hand and Roxas jokingly took it, following his boyfriend to another part of the ruins which worked as a seat for the two of them. By the time they had settled down Reno had obviously set the fireworks off and the sky lit up with colour.

Roxas had seen the fireworks every year, always coming running up onto the roof to join his brother when he heard to the first bang of night but none of the other years shows were quiet as impressive as the one he was currently watching.

“I think Reno wants to impress you,” Axel muttered, his hand comfortable wrapped around Roxas’ shoulder.

“Maybe, or he’s trying to impress someone in town. Who knows what’s going on in your brothers head,” Roxas replied and Axel let out a laugh before returning his attention back to the fireworks.

It wasn’t exactly something Roxas would call a conventional Christmas tradition, but he had to admit it was a pretty cool one.


	5. Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually written over the Supanova weekend. So very fragmented writing – hopefully it doesn’t show. Also this oneshot would happen a LOT later in the month then when it is being posted. I hope you don’t mind the fact the timeline will be a bit inconsistent. I never planned for these to be perfectly in order.

“I remember when I used to help Cloud wrap Christmas presents for you guys,” Zack said after walking into the room of wrapping paper, ribbon and Strife brothers.

“You still help Cloud wrap Christmas presents,” Vanitas said as he stole some Christmas cards from Ventus’ pile. He didn’t really have a want to give them to anyone but he liked taking things off his twin. “That’s why you’re here right?”

“You try wrapping all the presents I have to wrap,” Cloud said from behind the bulk of supplies; a large pile of already wrapped presents behind him.  

Vanitas muttered about it being Cloud’s own fault from being ‘such a slut’ but his older brother ignored his comment.

“Especially when your brothers keep stealing the stuff you need,” Cloud continued, slapping Roxas’ hand away when it moved towards Cloud’s wrapping paper, despite Roxas’ belief his brother was distracted.

“I meant when you lot were little and we’d still write ‘from Santa’ on your presents,” Zack said, carefully stepping through the piles of supplies to make it to the spot Cloud had claimed amongst all the wrapping chaos.

“You just miss when we were younger,” Roxas pointed out. All the Strife brothers had been witness to Zack’s comments about wishing they were like their younger selves again. Cloud had many times pointed out how creepy it was but Zack continued on despite every plea and bargain struck against it.

“Yeah, I miss being able to hold you in my arms,” Zack said a dreamy smile on his face.

“I don’t even know where to start with that,” Cloud muttered.

“I do,” Vanitas said. “One, you never knew us when we were young enough to hold in your arms. Two, that is probably the weirdest and maybe the creepiest statement I’ve ever heard. And three –“

“Enough Vanitas,” Cloud said, trying to massage away the headache that was quickly forming.

“But Cloud-“ Vanitas went to protest.

“Van, enough,” Ven said, giving his twin a pleading look. It wasn’t like Zack couldn’t take the teasing but everyone in the room had long ago learnt how insufferable Vanitas could become if allowed to continue on malicious trains of thought. There was a reason he got along so well with the Creasent triplets.

“You all need to clear out anyway,” Cloud said in his big-brother-don’t-argue-with-me voice. “I’m not having you all find out your presents because you’re trying to leech off me.”

Sora was quick to leave the room with that comment. He really was the most serious of his brothers when it came to Christmas, especially keeping Christmas presents hidden and had in the past nearly beat up his brothers to keep them out of his room in order to stop them finding out what presents he had given them. Ven and Roxas were next to leave. They understood the importance of keeping presents secret and had already stolen all the wrapping supplies they needed from their brother.

Vanitas stayed exactly where he was.

“Vanitas,” Cloud threatened and Zack just moved over to where Vanitas was. After a bit of a fight (mostly on Vanitas’ part) Zack managed to have Vanitas slung over his shoulder, Vanitas did not look happy about the situation.

“Look I can still hold you guys in my arms,” Zack joked as he carried the snarling Vanitas out of the room.

“Pervert!” Vanitas protested as Zack dumped him outside of the room.

“Debatable,” Zack replied with a shrug before shutting the door so only he and Cloud were left in the room.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Cloud said as Zack made his way back to the centre of wrapping paper piles to where Cloud was.

“Saved you having to do it,” Zack replied smiling. “Now, where have you hidden the presents this year?”

“I’ll go get them,” Cloud said, standing up. “Don’t even think about trying to see what I got you,” he added, noticing Zack’s attention turning to the pile of already wrapped presents in the corner.

“I wasn’t going to,” Zack replied with a pout on his face and Cloud just rolled his eyes.

“If you say so.”

The first few years Cloud was responsible for his brothers presents he had failed to find a hiding spot none of them could figure out. Sure Sora and Ventus were relatively good at not going hunting for their Christmas presents, wanting it to be a surprise, but it appeared to be Vanitas’ sole mission in life to hunt of any present he was going to receive. It didn’t help that Vanitas was the kind of person who then told Sora what present he was getting if he found Sora’s presents either before or with his own.  After two years of failure Cloud had started hiding his brother’s presents at other people’s houses. It didn’t entirely stop Vanitas from trying to find them even at the other person’s house but it at least stopped Roxas and made Vanitas’ task harder.

Eventually the presents returned back to the Strife home. Vanitas had found new ways to satisfy his mischievous and malicious sides, which, while Cloud was worried were more damaging habits he was glad he didn’t have to try and outsmart his brother two times a year in present hiding. Now the gifts were kept either in Cloud’s room or in his garage – two places his brothers rarely entered. Their reasoning for avoiding Cloud’s spaces might be attempts to avoid finding out facts about their brother they rather wouldn’t but Cloud was more than happy to exploit it to keep the presents out of their reach.

This year the presents were hidden at the bottom of the wardrobe in Cloud’s room. Every year they had shrunk in size (but not necessarily price) so Cloud found it easy to carry them down to where Zack was in one trip.

“Small haul this year?” Zack asked as Cloud put the presents in front of him, taking up his own position next to where Zack was.

“Still drained my bank account,” Cloud replied, “thanks for helping me by the way.”

“No problem, you know I love playing Santa.” It was a fact Cloud was well aware of – having many years having to deal with Zack literally dressing up as Santa at various points throughout the holiday month.


	6. Stockings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn’t intend to do this at the start of the series, but now I’ve decided it I don’t mind. I’m splitting this prompt into two 500 word pieces. The reason being that I couldn’t decide which of the two options I liked better and neither of them would really make it to the 1000 words anyway.
> 
> For the first prompt: I can’t remember if Marvel v Capcom have a high score in campaign mode – when I play I’m playing vs and I don’t really watch my cousins playing campaign all that often. Pretend it does. Also there is a picture that goes with this prompt if it isn’t posted with it here it’s posted with the one on tumblr (and probably AO3) – which I didn’t get the chance to colour - sorry. 
> 
> For the second prompt: First time writing Genesis actually with dialogue; didn’t realise he was so hard to write. Also I know this is more porn related than Christmas related but you really can’t blame me can you? Also, pairing: Genesis/Cloud, others/Cloud. Oh and Warnings: Crossdressing + crossdressing kink (I know Cloud sounds slighting unhappy about it in the fic but that’s more because of the cost of the stockings then the possibility of wearing them).

It wasn’t something that was intended but it was something that happened every year nonetheless. The stockings always went up last. Every year when the Strife brother’s searched the house for where all the Christmas decorations had been put the year before they fail to find the stockings. Every year they would just move on and decorate the house without the stockings and after a few years even Sora stopped stressing that they were lost forever.

The stockings always showed up again. The average length of time they go missing being a week. There are some Christmases where they show up the day after the rest of the house is decorated. There are others when it’s nearly two weeks and Sora has started stressing again that they are lost forever.

This year it took four days for the stockings to show up. Vanitas found them while searching for where Cloud hid the throwing knives Vanitas was sure his brother owned. Sora hugged his brother tightly when he brought them to the rest of the family and demanded the brothers that had left the house for the day return home.

“Seriously Sora, couldn’t this have waited?” Roxas asked, once the five of them were all gathered in the living room. He wouldn’t have minded coming back home if not for the fact he had nearly reclaimed the high score in _Marvel v Capcom_ from Hayner.

“No Roxas it couldn’t,” Sora replied, “we have to do this together.”

“What Roxas meant is couldn’t this wait for us to do it together tonight?” Cloud said, he wasn’t as annoyed as Roxas but he still would have preferred to stay where he was. Zack and Angeal had managed to convince Sephiroth (well, Angeal convinced, Zack pouted until Sephiroth agreed) to let them use him massive HD TV and cable to watch sport for the day.

“Because I wanted to do it now and it’s not like I can exactly predict if you are going to come home at night.” It wasn’t as if Sora could talk, all the brothers had started to become unreliable at returning home for the nights. They were old enough where they could look after themselves and with Cloud out four nights out of seven there wasn’t really anyone around to enforce a curfew. There were many a time where one of them would be gone for days on end.

“Let’s hurry up and do this so we can all go back to what we actually want to do,” Vanitas said. He had already made plans for the day before he had found the stockings and wanted to start on the preparation for those instead of spending time with his brothers.

Sora pouted but allowed the task to be done. It didn’t take long – four stockings hung above the rarely-used fireplace. The stockings were old from back when they were all young and their parents still alive. If it wasn’t for the names on them it would be impossible to tell which stocking belonged to which brother. They still hung them up though, and still tried to find small gifts for the other’s stockings. It was something that they did and despite their grumblings something all the brothers held dear.

 

 

\----------

 

Cloud idly stretched his muscles. He knew he had agreed to meet his brothers down in the town square by the time the sun had set but he couldn’t help but follow Genesis into bed when the man had presented the opportunity to him. He wasn’t complaining though, any fleeting residual stiffness was well worth the time spent.

“Are you going to see the light display tonight?” Genesis asked, his hands coming to lightly massage Cloud’s shoulders.

“Yeah, why?”

“No real reason. I was just curious as to whether we would have to end this truest sooner rather than later.”

“I should probably get going now,” Cloud muttered, moving to stand up out of the bed.

“Don’t leave so fast,” Genesis said, his hands lightly resting on Cloud’s shoulders to keep him from getting up. “I have a gift to give you first.”

“What for?”

“Do I need an excuse to give a gift to someone as exquisite as you?”

“Yes.” That had been a rule they established: no gifts unless there was a reason for them, it was the only way to stop the richer of Cloud’s lovers from showering him with them, making those with less extravagant pay checks feel unworthy. It also made Cloud feel less like a call girl.

“Then call it an early Christmas present.” The gift that was handed to Cloud was clearly a clothing box, and probably one from a high class boutique. The vague smell of perfume that came from it did not help Cloud’s feeling of being a call girl.

“I’m not going to be getting another 24 of these until Christmas day am I?” Cloud asked dryly, as his hands come to gently untie the ribbon that the box was bound in.

“Not unless you want there to be,” Genesis said and Cloud shook his head.

“No, I have a feeling this is already more than enough.”

Genesis gave a laugh as he settled himself behind Cloud, his head resting on the blonde’s shoulders. “Go on, open it.”

Cloud gave him a look but carefully opened the box. Inside was a pair of stockings and a garter belt, made out of the most expensive materials one could obtain without travelling out of town.

“If it makes you feel any better think of it as a hopeful Christmas present from me to myself,” Genesis purred in Cloud’s ear before roughly licking a strip up the neck he had access too. Somehow it made Cloud feel both better and worse.

“You know I spend Christmas with my brothers.”

“As pleasant as it is to receive ones Christmas gift on Christmas day I hardly expect it then. Just whenever you feel like it,” Genesis replied as Cloud ran his hands along the smooth fabric of the stockings. Even his well-callused hands didn’t catch on it, the fabric made to be both durable and soft.

“You should probably be off now, take that home so you are able to go to town square with your brothers,” Genesis said breaking Cloud from his trance. It didn’t take long for Cloud to get his clothes on or rewrap the gift so he could easily get it home without any questions from any of his brothers that might happen to be there. With a quick kiss on the lips he left Genesis company and started the quick trip home.


	7. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really wishing I started this thing like a week earlier. That way I could be like half a month in advance instead of 6 days… 
> 
> Firstly: this was going to go a slightly different way with actual drawn out battle lines instead of the all-out fight it ended up being. Second: I live in a part of the world that does not get snow. Ever. Most of this is me making up shit based on what I’ve seen on movies. I apologise for any actual inaccuracies.

“Roxas, it’s snowing!” Sora said, staring out the window of their shared bedroom as Roxas got ready for the day around him.

“Sora, it’s been snowing for the past month.” It had been snowing, but it was the slush snow. The kind of snow that was around enough to remind you just how cold it was but never reaching a level where it could actually be used for anything fun (except for shoving it down the back of your brothers shirts to make them squirm).

“No Roxas, it’s actually snowing,” Sora said and with a grumble Roxas made his way over to the window to peer outside.

“Holy shit it is snowing!” Roxas exclaimed, “Sora it’s snowing!”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Sora replied as Roxas shoved him away from the window. “Roxas, what-“

“Sora, what are you waiting for!? This is the first real snow for the year. Hurry up and get dressed so we can get out there!”

Sora wasn’t about to argue going out to play in the snow. Both Roxas and he scrambled to get their clothes on and were soon running down the stairs in order to get outside as quickly as their feet could take them.

“Woah, what’s the rush you two?” Ventus asked after having to quickly move to the side to avoid being knocked over by his younger brothers in their excitement to get outside.

“Snow Ven! Real fluffy nice Snow!” Roxas said as he and Sora continued past their brother, more interested in the door a few metres away then their brother.

“You’re kidding.”

“No, come look!” Sora said as he and Roxas made it to the front door and all but forced it open. Sure enough there was a nice fluffy layer of snow covering the front yard of the Strife residence – exactly the right amount needed to be played in.

Ven grinned and ran back into the kitchen to inform his twin, not that Vanitas would particularly care. Vanitas’ opinion on snow was the same as his opinion on all weather events – they were useful distractions but for the most part where just a thing that happened and weren’t really worth much notice.

Roxas and Sora left Vanitas to Ven as the two of them quickly dived into the snow. They would soon move to the backyard where there was more room to play and build the necessary barricades for the snowball fight that would inevitably eventuate from the year’s first true snow but for the most part they were just so happy that they actually had snow they couldn’t help but play in it. Gathering the odd ball of snow to lob at the other until Ven returned.

“You good to tell everyone we’re out the back?” Sora asked as Roxas’ temporarily gloveless fingers rapidly moved across his phone’s screen in order to inform everyone who could be potentially unaware of the snowfall about its existence.

“I’m pretty sure they’re going to take one look at this snow and know exactly where you two are, but sure,” Ven said and his brothers grinned.

“Thanks Ven, you’re the best!” the two of them said in unison (a feat Ventus and Vanitas had never managed) before running around the house to the backyard where there was even more snow to play in.

Ven was right about the fact that he didn’t need to tell his brothers friends where they were. As soon as they saw the snow falling from the sky they knew where Roxas and Sora would be and for the most part were quickly making plans of their own to be able to make it over to the Strife’s house for the annual snowball fight. It took only an hour for Ven to join in on the fun and another two for Vanitas to drag himself out of the house and into the growing war (if only to get the chance to cause mischief and pain).

By the time the sun was setting the yard was filled with more people then it could realistically hold and the snowball fight had spilled into the front yard as well as the yards (both front and back) of their neighbour. It wasn’t as if they would get in trouble for the spread of the fight with members of the houses either side of the Strife’s also being at the fight themselves. It was part of the reason the Strife house was chosen as the location for the annual battle – there were no parents or older siblings that would yell at the group if they got too loud or accidently covered a window in snow and the yard was large enough to actually have room for a decent fight.

It was just after everyone else left that Cloud returned home from wherever he disappeared to the night before. The sky was dark as he surveyed the mess that was now his family’s yards.

“Why wasn’t I informed this was going to happen?” he asked, having managed to round up his brothers to the front of his house.

“Because we thought you already knew?” Sora timidly said.

“Well I didn’t.”

“Sorry Cloud,” Ven said and his brother sighed.

“No it’s my fault I should keep a better eye on the weather, I should know by now my bratty brothers would hold a snowball fight and not invite me.” Cloud picked up a lump of snow and dumped it on his brothers’ head’.

With a protesting shout Roxas and Sora quickly tackled their brother to the ground and Ven gathered another pile of snow to shove in his face. The fight was back on again and raged on deep into the night until eventually the cold took the younger four Strife’s back inside to warm up while their brother followed after to ensure they didn’t do something stupid like try and put their whole body into the fire.

Nothing productive got done that day but it was still a good day by all accounts.


	8. Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing this relationship so fucking much – it is so hard balancing Ven being slightly younger than them and therefore slightly less mature without making it into an unhealthy relationship (like I image Ven is like 1-2 years younger than them but that still means he’s still in highschool when they graduate for like an extra two years – even if this is set the year Ven graduates (probably – IDK)). Not that they are any healthier in the games (why must I keep shipping stuff that in the original universe is a fucked up relationship – trying to fix it is hard). 
> 
> Also – this thing ended up being a rambling comment more on the Strife bros tree decorating then Terra+Aqua’s… strange, I guess the series is supposed to be more about the Strife bros but still… 
> 
> Pairings: Terra/Aqua/Ven

“I can’t believe you guys haven’t already put your tree up,” Ven said as he sat on the armrest of the couch watching as Terra and Aqua dug their Christmas decorations out of the various hiding places around their house.

“We’ve been busy Ven,” Aqua said as she ensured the tree was balanced right and wouldn’t fall over and possible hit someone or something in their small living room.

“Yeah, not all of us have a little brother who would decorate the house for Christmas on the first of November if the rest of his family would let him,” Terra added, giving Ven’s hair a playful ruffle as he passed with the box of newly purchased tree ornaments.

“Sora did try that one year, but the time December 5th came around Cloud, Vanitas and Roxas were ready to torch the house to make the Christmas music stop,” Ven said and the other two laughed.

“And you weren’t involved in this house torching?” Aqua asked and Ven gave a shrug.

“No – I mean I was fully in support of their decision but I wasn’t to the point where I was taking part yet.”

“Well then it’s a good thing we’re not getting the tree up until… the ninth? We’re a little late aren’t we?” Terra muttered, having glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was covered in the different tasks Terra, Aqua, and Ven had to complete for the month, and looked more like a mess of the three different peoples’ handwriting than anything that could be useful in organising things.

“Did _you_ have time in the last eight days to put a tree up?” Aqua asked and Terra sighed. Between work and other obligations that came with owning an apartment both of them had been doing something non-stop for the past two weeks.

“You’re lucky your brother lets you stay with him,” Terra said to Ven.

“The only reason Cloud keeps us around is to make sure the house doesn’t fall apart from lack of a person actually being there,” Ven replied and it was probably true. Cloud was notorious for not coming home for a week, normally from a combination of work and spending time with his friends and lovers. That combined with his need to ensure everything in the house was in perfect running order meant it was useful having four younger brothers who would all inform him when he arrived home of the exact parts of the house that needed repairing.  

“Still be grateful for the roof over your head,” Aqua pointed out, taking the box from Terra’s hands and opening it. She wouldn’t also say to be grateful for food because most of the time the younger Strife brothers were left to feed themselves. It wasn’t that Cloud was neglectful; he left them plenty of money to obtain the food. It was just that it was left to the younger brothers to decide what food they wanted themselves. Ven normally ended up eating and Aqua and Terra’s place as the two of them were actually capable of cooking (he of course put money in to help pay for the food).

“I am,” Ven replied, hoping off his perch to help Aqua work on unpacking the boxes of tree ornaments. There were two small boxes of just the regular spherical decorations, one in red and the other green; then there was the third box that was a collection of the various other ones either taken by Terra and Aqua when they moved out of home or brought by them during their brief times out of the house. It was a small collection but was more than serviceable for two people who had only recently moved out of home. 

Terra left the organisation of the decorations mostly to Aqua. They had split the housework 50/50 when they moved in together but quickly found out Aqua had a greater eye for decorating. It wasn’t the Terra was completely incapable, just that he normally organised things for practicality rather than aesthetic and while that worked to a certain extent Aqua was the one that made the house actually look like a home instead of the living place of two people. Putting the tree up was Terra’s job (granted with Aqua double checking it was structurally secure), decorating it was Aqua’s. Ven just helped wherever he was asked too.

The tree was decorated quickly and efficiently, and the rest of the house soon followed suit. It didn’t take anywhere near as long as the Strife house did, being a small apartment but it was still an exhausting job. All that was left was to put the star on the top of the tree.

“Who wants to do it?” Ven asked, holding the star out. Normally at his place it was a battle between him Roxas and Sora for who put the star on and in recent years Cloud normally ended up putting it up to stop the bickering.

Aqua and Terra both looked at each other before shrugging – neither of them really cared much about the tradition. Then again neither of them had to fight with four brothers for the right to put the star on the top of the tree; Aqua was an only child and Leon always gave the honour to his younger brother.

“Why not you Ven?” Aqua suggested.

“But I don’t live here,” Ven replied.

“Yet,” Terra said, and while they all knew it was a joke they also knew it would probably end up being true. “We really don’t mind Ven.”

Ven gave a nod and went to put the star on the tree only to discover that it was taller than him. With another glance at each other Terra and Aqua effectively picked him up and rested him on their shoulders. Ven gave a laugh as he steadied himself before carefully placing the star on the tree, ensuring that it wouldn’t fall off.

When the three of them finished they collapsed onto the lounge and admired the newly decorated apartment.

“I think we did a good job,” Ven said and the other two quickly agreed. It wasn’t an extravagant display of Christmas spirit, but it was enough to get them into the right mood for the holiday and looked better than most people’s first Christmas’s after moving out of home did.


	9. Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More about Terra and Aqua. I was tempted to make it Aerith doing the en-mass baking but it made better sense for Terra and Aqua to steal the Strife kitchen – Aerith has her own with enough room. 
> 
> Pairings: Terra/Aqua/Ven; Cloud/many (mentioned: Aerith, Tifa and Angeal)

“Terra and Aqua are borrowing the kitchen!” Ven called despite the knowledge that his brothers wouldn’t care. Roxas and Sora only used the kitchen to make the meals necessary for their continued sustenance. Vanitas if not eating leftovers from his brothers and their lovers consumed nothing but fast food. Cloud wasn’t even in the house five days out of the seven so he couldn’t care who was in his kitchen as long as they didn’t leave it a mess. None of them would care if Aqua and Terra borrowed their kitchen for the day, especially if there was the possibility of stealing cookies.

Of course Ven should have also have known that his brothers had a minor addiction to Terra and Aqua’s cooking. Actually they had an addiction to the cooking of anyone who was willing to cook for them – Terra and Aqua’s was just a particular favourite as it wasn’t something they commonly obtained.

They had only just gotten the first batch of cookies into the oven when Sora showed up downstairs. He didn’t beg for anything but sat at the kitchen counter clearly waiting for some gift of either batter or freshly cooked cookies to show up in front of him. He did not leave disappointed.

However he was also put to work to obtain his reward. In order to get spoon-liking privileges he had to clean up the utensils and bowls that slowly piled up in the kitchen sink while Ven worked on clearing the living room table and Terra and Aqua prepared the next batch.

When the first set of cookies were finished cooking and being pulled out of the oven Sora went to steal one from the tray only to have his hand swatted away by Aqua.

“You’ll burn yourself,” she warned as she placed the tray on the bench and carefully started moving the cookies onto a plate so the tray could be reused while they cooled. “Wait until they’ve cooled.”

Sora pouted but continued with his task of cleaning the dishes created from the baking. He knew he would still be one of the first to eat the cookies because he helped. Terra and Aqua stealing the Strife’s family kitchen in order to cook was a relatively common occurrence after they had brought their apartment and realized exactly how small its kitchen was.

Roxas had better timing than his brother. He showed up in the kitchen after the first batch of cookies had cooled to an edible level. Taking two from the plate he handed one to his twin as he settled himself onto the bench.

“How many are you guys planning on making?” Roxas asked around a mouthful of cookie.

“Enough.” Terra replied, preparing the third set of cookies onto the oven tray as Aqua organised the second lot onto a plate.

“Enough for what.”

“The holidays hopefully,” Aqua said, handing the new plate of cookies over to Ven to take to the kitchen table as she started a new batch.

Soon enough the spoon used for that mix made its way over to the sink and Roxas claimed it as his own before Sora had the chance.

“Hey, give that to me!” Sora said, trying to make a grab for the spoon as Roxas moved it out of his reach.

“No way you got the last one,” Roxas replied, starting to step backwards to avoid his brothers attempts for the spoon.

“And I’m the one cleaning up the dishes so I should get it,” Sora said as he followed his brother, determined not to let him get the spoon.

“And I’ve been helping you,” Roxas replied moving to run back up the stairs and away from his brother.

“So? Give it here Roxas!” Sora replied running after his brother.

“And there goes one of the spoons,” Terra said watching the younger twins go running off.

“Do you think we’ll see them again before we’re done?” Aqua asked.

“Probably. They’ll only be able to fight over that for an hour, then they’ll watch to test all the new cookies made since they have left,” Ven replied stealing a small ball of batter as Terra worked on preparing another tray of the cookies. For the time Sora and Roxas were out of the room the cookie making went smoothly and by the time they did show up again in the kitchen the dining table was already half full of plates of cookies.

“Seriously, how many of these things are you planning on making?” Roxas asked as he and Sora took another plate from the kitchen to load up with one cookie from each batch.

“Enough to last the holiday season,” Aqua replied. “Ven can you go run back to the apartment and pick up the containers? I think we forgot to bring them all.” 

“Sure,” Ven said, grabbing Terra’s keys from the kitchen table and leaving Terra and Aqua to their baking (and hopefully Sora and Roxas to help them).

By the time Ven had returned most of the table had been covered and apparently in the time he was gone Cloud had also returned home and was now staring at the table of various kinds of Christmas cookies.

“Please don’t tell me these are all for us,” he said to the laughter of the two in still baking.

“No, we just needed to borrow your kitchen in order to make them all,” Aqua said as she took the containers from Ven’s hands and giving them to Sora and Roxas so they could begin packing the cookies into them.

“Good,” Cloud said, going to ensure his younger brothers carefully placed the cookies into the containers so they couldn’t cause them unnecessary damage. “I was worried you were trying to make us all fat.”

“There’s enough of your lovers already trying at that,” Roxas said, dodging the arm Cloud playfully tried to grab him with.

“If it wasn’t for them you lot would probably have lived off fast-food for the past five years.”

“And we are grateful. The point still stands our fridge is filled with food they have given us,” Roxas replied and Cloud struggled to argue with that point.

With the four brothers help packing the cookies into their containers was quick work and soon Aqua and Terra were able to go on their way leaving a small selection of them for the Strife brothers themselves.

Well, small to Sora and Roxas. Cloud took one look at the collection and knew between them and the eventual food gifts from Tifa, Aerith and Angeal his brothers would be well spoilt over the festive period.


	10. Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will this lead anywhere? Probably not. Was I watching Gravity Falls before writing this? Not telling. Also the Final Fantasy VII remake trailer dropped halfway through writing this so it might suddenly drop in quality because my brain was elsewhere. 
> 
> Pairings: Axel/Roxas (like one line and it’s a joke so… you wouldn’t need to read it that way)

“I’m glad you could all make it to this important meeting today,” Sora said sitting on a kitchen chair he had dragged into the living room. Roxas, Ven and Cloud all were sitting on various couches and chairs that were in the living room. It wasn’t rare for Sora to call a “family meeting”, all the brothers had done it in the past if they felt there was something that needed to be agreed on by the whole (or majority) of the family. It didn’t stop the others from grumbling about the meeting though.

“Yeah well, I want the record to reflect that I have a place I’d much rather be than here,” Roxas said from where he was sprawled on the couch. Sora gave him a pout but Roxas easily ignored it.

“Fine, the record reflects that Roxas would prefer to be with his _boyfriend_ rather than deal with important family business,” Sora replied and ignored Roxas’ comment that it was Hayner he was supposed to be hanging out with, not Axel.

“Is there any other statements that we want the record to reflect before we start on the official business of this meeting?” Sora was by far the most intense when it came to family meetings. None of the brothers would be surprised if they received an email summary of the meeting sometime later in the day. They would be even less surprised if a hand-written and individualised version ended up on their desks the next morning.

“I want the record to show that I have work to go to in an hour so this betting better be short Sora,” Cloud said.

“The record reflects that Cloud has to go to his job in an hour. Any other comments before we start? Ven?” Sora asked and Ven shook his head.

“Awesome! So onto the business of this meeting: how we are going to get Van to enjoy Christmas.”

“And I’m out,” both Roxas and Cloud said as they stood up.

“Noooo!” Sora said getting up to block the doorway, not that it would stop his brothers. “You can’t leave.”

“Sora this is a terrible idea!” Roxas said.

“You can’t say that. We haven’t even thought of a plan yet!”

“Sora, I don’t think Vanitas is ever going to like Christmas,” Ven said moving to stand behind his two brothers.

“You can’t say that!”

“As his twin I think I can.”

“But Christmas is so fun and Van is missing out on it!” Sora said and his brother’s sighed. It was just like Sora to worry about another person missing out on something that that person had no problems with missing out on.

“He makes it up with his Halloween celebrations,” Cloud suggested. The only way to stop Sora when he went on one of his ‘everyone will enjoy x’ modes was to get him to realise that the person made up for whatever ‘x’ was with something else.

“Yeah, Vanitas enjoys Halloween!” Roxas agreed, hoping for a quick end to the meeting so he could do what he wanted to do for the day.

“No, he likes to terrorise people on Halloween, there’s a difference,” Sora said and he did have a point. Whenever asked Vanitas would say Halloween was his favourite holiday, most people assumed he just like the aesthetic of the holiday seeing as it matched his own so closely. In reality he just liked the excuse to scare small children (and the odd adult if his luck held out). Christmas could never give him such excuses.

“Still, I don’t think you’re going to be able to bring him over to Christmas,” Ven said.

“Well I can try,” Sora said with a pout, “and shame on you all for not.”

His brothers let out a grown but returned to their seats. Really, by this point it would be more painful for them to leave then to stay and listen to Sora’s plans. Sora was known to sulk for days if he had to.

“So what is the plan you have?” Cloud asked once all the brothers had returned to their seats.

“Well actually I called you all here so we could think of a plan together.”

“But you have an idea for a plan don’t you?” Roxas asked because Sora never called a meeting to create a plan of action unless he already had one he wanted to do.

“Welll I do have an idea but I wouldn’t really call it a fleshed out plan…”

“So share it with us and we’ll see if we can turn it into a fleshed out plan,” Ven replied.

“Okay. So I was thinking we sneak into Van’s room while he’s sleeping and completely deck it out in Christmas spirit! That way he wakes up and sees the true magic.”

“No.”

“Nope.”

“Absolutely not.”

Again that three other brothers got up to leave the room and again Sora stood in their way.

“Come on guys! It’s not that bad of a plan.”

“Sora, you’re my twin and I love you, but I am not going to sneak into Vanitas’ room while he’s sleeping for any reason!”

“Roxas come on!”

“And I really don’t think trying to force Christmas onto Van is going to make him like it. If anything he’ll hate the holiday more.”

“Ven please!”

“Sora, just drop it. I know you want everyone to love Christmas as much as you do but you just have to accept the fact that it will never really be Vanitas’ holiday and that’s okay.”

“Cloud!~”

“Sora you’re outnumbered. Give up,” Roxas suggested and his brother sulked.

“But I want Vanitas to loves Christmas.”

“We know, but meddling will only make him hate it more,” Cloud said and Sora pouted.

“So Van just has to learn to love it for himself?”

“Yes,” if that was at all possible. Roxas didn’t voice the thought that went with the comment.

Sora seemed to brighten at the comment though, moving out of the doorway so his brothers had some chance of leaving the room at least. “Then I guess I will just have to wait for Christmas to work its own magic on Van and he falls in love with it.”

“You do that Sora,” Roxas replied, glad to be able to leave the room and the house to spend time with his friends.


	11. Carols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think in this point in Brother’s verse Hojo is dead but *shrugs* this thing would be COMPLETELY different if he was. I never had a stable timeline in this thing anyway. Oh and I don’t think he tortured his sons in this verse. 
> 
> Also Sora had a terrible taste in music. 
> 
> Warnings: jokes about Hojo committing torture 
> 
> Pairings: Sora/Riku/Kairi

“Hey Riku? Does Sephiroth not do the shopping or something?” Kairi asked as she, Sora and Riku walked through the local mall.

“I don’t know, why?”

“I’m just trying to imagine him being able to being in a place like this for long enough to complete something like grocery shopping without going homicidal because of the constant carols.”

“Come on Kairi they’re not that bad!” Sora said earning him a _look_ from both his lovers.

“Sora, the current one sounds like someone is murdering a trumpet violently. The previous one was a pop version of ‘ _Good King Wenceslas ´,_ ” Kairi pointed out.

“I think _Good King Wenceslas_ needed a reimagining to better match the modern world!” The sentence would better belong in a school report than idle conversation but Sora said it nonetheless.

“It really didn’t,” Riku replied and Sora pouted.

“So who does the shopping in your family Riku? Because now that I think about it you’re the only member who wouldn’t resort to murder after being exposed to these songs and I know for a fact you don’t do it,” Kairi said, bringing the conversation back onto its original topic and as far away as possible from the merits of a modern retelling of _Good King Wenceslas_.

“I don’t really know,” Riku said with a shrug. “Food just sort of shows up when more is needed.”

“You’re dad probably has some staff member in charge of it,” Sora suggested.

“Probably,” Riku replied. It did make sense. His father and brothers were not people he could exactly imagine doing domestic tasks such as shopping. Added onto that fact Hojo and Sephiroth’s busy schedules and Hojo’s unwillingness to do anything ‘below his station’ meant a lot of tasks were completed by hired staff.

“Now that I think about it I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of Genesis going grocery shopping either,” Kairi said, trying to thinking of a time her cousin had made any mention of purchases other than those obtained at expensive boutiques. The few times she had been in one they always had much better music then the generic mass-produced pop that Shopping Centres were known for.

“Do any of their group actually go shopping or do they all just have staff for it?” Riku asked and Kairi seemed to seriously contemplate the question.

“Angeal,” Sora pointed out, “and Zack and my brother.” Really, anyone except Genesis and Sephiroth.

“Fair point,” Kairi replied before stilling for a second. “Really? Someone’s trying to mash up _Away in a Manger_ and _Feliz Navidad_? Why?”

“I think it works,” Sora said and his two friends shook their head.

“No Sora, it really doesn’t.”

“Come on, it at least has some elements working for it!”

“Sora. I’m starting to contemplate killing someone if it would make this awful music stop,” Kairi said.

“Kairi!” Sora pouted as if that would someone convince his lovers that the music wasn’t terrible.

“No Sora, I’m being completely serious here: I’m starting to think the reason my brothers are so scary is because they were forced to listen to this stuff on repeat. In fact I’m starting to think if I am here any longer I’ll end up like them,” Riku said and Kairi burst out laughing.

“Imagine that – what Hojo did to make his sons oh so scary and mean was force them to listen to bad Christmas music!”

“No Kairi, I’m being completely serious here. What if it was the reason? It might also be the reason my father is so against celebrating Christmas: he knows that if they get exposed to the holiday they’ll turn homicidal and he fears they’ll kill him!” Riku said, grabbing onto Kairi as if he had figured out some grand conspiracy theory.

“And that’s why he doesn’t like them leaving the house other than for their jobs. He’s afraid they’ll see something Christmas related and snap and then he’ll have to explain why his sons react so violently,” Kairi replied, howling in laughter. “Man Riku you should be glad you’re such a shame of a son to him or else you’d be exposed to the torture as well.”

“Yeah, instead I get exposed to it in small doses every time I go shopping,” Riku replied, holding Kairi up as she nearly fell over from her laughter.

Even Sora couldn’t help but grin. As much as he liked the Christmas music he had to admit the mental image of Hojo using it to torture the grand and imposing Sephiroth was amusing.

Kairi caught sight of Sora’s and instantly went to join him into the game. “Sora, what do we do if the horrible Christmas carols drive everyone insane and they all turn homicidal and start killing each other?” She moved to lean on him like some damsel out of an old Western film.

“I guess I’ll have to use my enjoyment of the music to protect you and save everyone from whatever evil is using such wonderful music to control you all.” He wasn’t about to admit the music was bad just yet.

“But Sora, because of my genetic proclivity to annoyance at this music I’ll probably be the first to lose my mind. Can you really fight me, you’re best friend or will you find yourself unable to as the world crumbles around you?” Riku said, more than happy to include Sora into the game.

“I will do what I have to do to protect humanity,” Sora said in mock seriousness before the three of them burst into laughter.

“Image that – Sora as the hero of humanity?” Kairi asked after the three of the finally got their laughter under control.

“I don’t know Kairi – I think I can see it,” Riku said, gently nudging Sora as the three of them starting walking through the shops again. “He’s pretty tough when he needs to be.”

“See Kairi, Riku thinks I’m capable of being a hero.”

“Yeah but Riku’s your boyfriend, he’s supposed to take your side in things like that.”

“He’s also your boyfriend, so he has just as much reason to take your side,” Sora pointed out and Kairi nodded in serious contemplation before letting the conversation go and instead they returned their attention to the objects in the windows of the shops and their plans for the rest of the holidays.

 


	12. Vintage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to know the real reason I keep forgetting about Xion when writing about Axel+Roxas. For some reason my brain has put her in a group with Namine + Kairi. So despite knowing she also goes with Axel+Roxas my brain just forgets about her then and then remembers her when I do things like this one. I guess my want for female friendships outweighs my want for triads… (probably a lie). 
> 
> Also – tangential connection to the prompt is tangential 
> 
> Tw: underage drinking mention (although I can’t exactly tell you everyone’s ages so they might not be underage by Australian law…) 
> 
> Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Repliku/Namine (implied)

“Thanks for taking us shopping Aerith!” Kairi said as the five girls walked through the mall.

“It’s no problem, I felt like a girls day out was needed,” Aerith replied with a sweet smile.

‘Girls Day Out’ was a thing pioneered by Aerith back when the other girls where young and barely known by her. It was originally going to be a one off thing – Aerith and Tifa getting fed up with the ‘dumb machoism nonsense’ and dragging the other girls in the group into agreeing to take a day completely to themselves with none of the boys around. Aerith had been the one to then organise a second ‘Girls Day Out’ and then a third and eventually it just became an accepted thing that happened. Soon enough it had spread through every social group in the town, mainly through Aerith’s driving force, and had become almost an acceptable justification for a day off work.  

‘Girls Day Out’s were rarely planned anymore. The original few had been, they had an itinerary and everyone knew about it at least a week in advance. The current version of it however was more an impromptu thing that was decided in the morning by some female and whatever group of friends she wanted to spend the day with. Aerith held the title for most often caller of them.

This one had started in the morning with Aerith walking into her sister’s room to inform her that they were having a Girls Day and it took less than ten minutes for Olette to invite her neighbours into it.

The day had started with a run to the nearest corner store and the purchase of enough horrible food to last them for a week as well as Aerith obtaining a bottle or two of wine that was ‘mostly for her’. Then the five of them watched random shows on Netflix while slowly working their way through the junk food.

A little after lunch Aerith decided they couldn’t rightfully call it a ‘Girls Day Out’ if they didn’t actually leave the house except to get food and the five of them piled into her car and made it to the shopping mall. 

“I sort of hate Christmas time,” Xion muttered as they looked through the second clothing store for the day.

“Why’s that?” Aerith asked.

“There’s all these cool things out for people to buy as presents that I want to buy for myself but I have no money because I have to buy presents for other people,” Xion explained and her sisters agreed.

“Yeah, I mean look at this dress isn’t it perfect,” Kairi said holding one of the dresses in front of her, “but there is no way I could afford it until at least the New Years.”

“Someone else could always buy it for you,” Aerith pointed out and Kairi snorted.

“Yeah, there’s no way anyone’s going to buy me something that costs this much. I haven’t got a whipped boyfriend like you.”

“Zack isn’t whipped,” Aerith replied her arms lightly crossed.

“No he just does everything you tell him to and spoils you in every way possible,” Xion pointed out joining in on her sister’s side. Namine nodded silently behind her two sisters, she knew better than to say anything less they point out how her boyfriend treated her.

“That doesn’t make him whipped,” Aerith replied.

“Kind of does,” Olette said. “You can’t tell me he wouldn’t buy you that if you asked him too.”

“No he wouldn’t.”

“Why not?” Kairi challenged.

“Because I wouldn’t ask him to silly,” Aerith replied earning her a _look_ from the other girls.

“And why not?” Xion asked.

“I don’t really like buying brand new clothes,” Aerith said, gently taking the dress from Kairi’s hand and running her hand along the fabric. “I’d rather buy something second-hand or make it myself. I find things on the shelf don’t exactly match my style well.” It was true; Aerith had somehow managed to create a style of clothing that was uniquely hers. It was a weird combination of second hand clothing that she had altered or added with either other pieces she found for a couple of dollars or with fabric she had brought. Half of Olette’s wardrobe was made for her by her big sister.

“I wish I had talent like that,” Namine said, finally speaking up in the conversation.

“Yeah, it’s probably loads cheaper to just make your clothes instead of buying them,” Kairi agreed.

“It’s really not that hard,” Aerith replied, “I mean it takes a bit of practice and the fabric can be a bit expensive if you’re trying to make something _completely_ from scratch. But I could teach you the basic’s if you wanted…”

Namine and Kairi brightened up at that, both nodding. “Yes we would want that,” Kairi said. Xion stuck to the back, it wasn’t that she didn’t like the idea of making her own clothing, just that she’d rather buy it already made and anyway her style wasn’t one that could easily be picked up from an Op shop.

“We could go see if there’s anything at the shop now that you could afford currently and then go home and I’ll teach you how to alter it?” Aerith suggested and Namine and Kairi excided nodded before following her.

Olette moved to stand next to Xion as the other three girls left the shop. She didn’t really have much interest in her sister’s sowing habits either. “So, do you want to go see what the boys are doing today?” 

“I think they’re at Hayner’s playing Mario-cart,” Xion replied.

“Well what are we waiting for! We can’t let those boys keep believing they can actually win at that game!” Olette said and the two girls made their own way out of the shop towards Hayner’s house and beating their friends at video games. 


	13. Festive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, their parents are dead – if you didn’t figure that out from earlier ones in this series (it’s amazing how many facts about brother’s verse this thing is finally ironing out for me). 
> 
> Also this thing took a depressing tone… and we REALLY lost the prompt there a little… 
> 
> Warnings: angry character ranting, he’s saying a lot of things I don’t agree with and he doesn’t agree with but anger loosens the tongue in bad ways sometimes. 
> 
> Pairings: Terra/Aqua/Ven

The festival had been happening since before even Cloud was born, yet it was still a new one in the town. When Cloud had been young it was nearly brand new and half the town scoffed at it and claimed it wouldn’t last. By the time Sora and Roxas were born it had been well accepted in the town and nearly everyone attended. Still the thing had only grown since they were kids and now it was nearly impossible not to attend.

“I still don’t understand why I have to be here?” Vanitas asked, standing angrily next to his twin.

“Because we come here every year Van,” Ven replied.

“And every year I still do not understand why I have to attend.”

“It’s _tradition_ Van,” Ven said. It was something that had done with their parents when they had been kids and none of them were about to drop the annual traditions their parents had given them. Except Vanitas apparently.

“So you lot can come and I can stay home doing whatever I want. It’s win-win for everyone.”

“But we want to do something with you Van.”

“You decorated the house with me; you forced me to hang around while Sora took half an hour to hang a stocking on top of the fucking fireplace. This whole month is a never ending torturous ‘family bonding’ experience and unlike Cloud I can’t just whore myself out in order to get out of the house for days on end.”

“Vanitas!” Ven said and his brother gave a huff.

“Don’t even try to get me to apologize! I’m done! I’m officially done with Christmas for this year!” Vanitas said and Ven was sure he could hear Sora’s horrified gasp at that statement despite the fact his brother was nowhere nearby. “I don’t give a fuck about being in the spirit of the season or if I’m going to get the label of Grinch for the next month and a half. It’s all fucking bullshit anyway and the only reason we keep doing it is because Sora is too stupid to admit that the family is breaking apart, so he’s desperately trying to force us all together at every opportunity he can. I’m entirely sure if Cloud didn’t feel obligated to look after us then he would have fucked off years ago and just lived out a suitcase staying at his fucking boyfriends’ and girlfriends’ houses between jobs. Our parents are dead and have been for ten fucking years and yet we keep holding onto these bullshit ‘traditions’ as if they somehow mean something and they don’t and we’re all growing up and that’s fucking okay and everyone just needs to realise it.”

“Van-“

“You’re going to be the first one to actually move out as well. Cloud will probably keep the house forever, doesn’t mean he’ll be in it much but he’ll own it. I have nowhere to really go so I’ll probably be stuck there forever. Sora and Roxas still aren’t established enough to organise or afford moving out. But you? You have your two fucking perfect lovers who have purchased an apartment that I _know_ has an extra bedroom. They keep saying that it’s a ‘spare room’ but really if they wanted to get the cheapest apartment they could they would buy a one bedroom one. That room if for you. You’ll all just waiting for you to be slightly older so you can justify moving out and in with them but it’ll probably happen by the end of next year. And then Sora and Roxas will move out and I’ll be left alone in that house with Cloud showing up every now and then to make sure it hasn’t fucking fallen down.”

“You don’t want me to move out?” Ven asked cautiously to avoid his brother snapping at him. He had always thought Vanitas was patiently waiting the day his brothers moved out. He enjoyed the time he was alone in the house, and seemed to try and force his brothers out whenever he got the chance. More than once Ven had heard to yell to one of them to ‘go visit your lover and get the fuck out of my space’. It was weird to think he didn’t want them to leave.

“No I fucking don’t.”

“But you’re always telling me to get out?”

“Yeah for like a day or two. You’re so fucking happy it drives me up the fucking wall. But I don’t mean for good – you’re still my fucking twin.”

“Van, you know it won’t be for good even if I do move out. It’s not like I’m leaving the city we’ll still see each other all the time.”

“No we won’t. I hardly leave the house and when I do it’s not during the hours you would be out and about and I’m not about to expect you to leave your fucking happy life with your perfect boyfriend and girlfriend to come visit me.”

“That’s not true,” Ven said. “I’m never going to not come visit you Van, like you said, you’re my twin. I can’t even begin to think of a life without you.”

“It’d probably be a better one.”

“I don’t think so,” Ven said, sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk leaving Vanitas very little choice but to follow. “I think my life would be really boring without you. I mean I probably wouldn’t have even met Terra and Aqua if you hadn’t of pushed me down those stairs in high school.”

“You would have found them, dumb soul mates and all that.”

“You don’t really believe in that do you?” Ven asked and Vanitas let out a bitter laugh.

“Of course I fucking don’t but you lot seem to, it’s just another reason I don’t fit in with this family.”

“I don’t think you don’t fit in the family and I’m pretty sure no-one else does as well. I mean sure you can be a Grinch but you’re still our brother.” Ven leant over to gently wrap his arm around Vanitas’ shoulder.

“I still don’t like Christmas,” Vanitas grumbled as he lay his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“And that’s okay.”


	14. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know physics and explosives don’t work this way. I do not give a shit. 
> 
> Also set during the same festival of the last prompt, probably around the same time too. 
> 
> Pairings: implied/hinted!Roxas/Xion/Axel

“You built…” Roxas muttered staring apprehensively at the device at their feet.

“A glitter bomb!?!” Sora exclaimed, jumping excitedly up and down at such a rate that Riku had to reach out and catch him by the front of his shirt to stop him from falling off the building they were standing on.

“Yep!” Xion said, standing proudly back.

“By yourself? How?” Kairi asked.

“Well I had a little help,” Xion replied sheepishly as if that would somehow discredit her work. “I asked Yuffie and Tifa for help in designing it and then asked Reno if he had any fireworks left over from… ah, that doesn’t matter… but yeah, so this was more of a team build?”

“You asked Tifa for help in building a bomb and she actually helped you?” Sora asked. 

“You asked Reno for something?” Axel asked.

“Yeah. Tifa was happy to help as long as I told it I was only _hypothetically_ building a bomb that could harmlessly rain glitter down on an entire section of the town and Reno was more than happy to hand over the explosives. To the point where I’m actually a little worried about how easily he handed them over…” Xion said, gently shooing everyone to the side so she could complete the final data inputs so it could work the most effective way possible.

“How did you keep this hidden from us?” Namine asked, standing next to the device to see exactly where her sister was planning on raining glitter down on.

“Well I kept it in my room for the most part and you guys don’t really go in there. It’s not as if I was dragging it from one end of town to the other.”

“If you were getting Yuffie’s help she would have demanded to see it,” Riku pointed out and Xion shrugged.

“Yeah, but I mostly got her help with the small mechanical stuff. Plus, I told her how important it was to keep this a surprise so she understood my want to not move it out of my room. Instead she snuck through the window…” It certainly wasn’t the first time Yuffie had snuck into a window to visit someone or help with some project that no-one else was supposed to know about. It would have been harder to convince her to keep it a secret at all compared to the flimsy justification needed for her to be able to sneak into someone’s house.

“We should all probably stop distracting her so she has the chance to actually set this thing off before the festival ends,” Axel said and while they did have hours until that happened there would be a point in the afternoon when people started to go home and if they wanted as many people as possible to see the glitter they would have to set it off soon.

“It’s not going to backfire or anything right? It’s all calibrated correctly or whatever?” Riku asked as he and everyone else carefully took a couple of steps back from the bomb.

“Yep,” Xion replied, “I’ve triple checked everything.”

“Then what are you waiting for – set it off!” Roxas said and Xion did just that. She typed in the last few commands, set the timer and then pushed it off the edge of the building and into the crowd below. It bounced along the concrete for a couple of seconds before a slow leak of glitter started to fall out of it.

“What? Why hasn’t it exploded? I’m sure I did everything right…” Xion muttered staring over the edge of the building to the hissing device.

Just as Roxas took a step forward to comfort her, the device set off sending a pile of glitter straight up into the air to quickly rain down on everyone in the nearby area. Xion fell back off the edge of the building her face covered in glitter and Roxas helped her back onto her feet.

“It worked…” Xion muttered as Roxas helped her dust off the glitter that covered her hair. “It WORKED!”

“It did!” Sora said, happily dancing around the slowly falling glitter as if it was snow.

“Pretty impressive,” Axel said, moving over so he could ruffled Xion’s hair, dislodging more glitter then Roxas’ careful brushing did.

“You think?”

“Hell yeah it’s impressive, I think I can see it falling two streets over!” Kairi said, leaning over the railing of the building to try and see pass the dense glitter that was falling down on top of them.

“Well there’s only one way to find out,” Riku said as he carefully helped Namine onto the fire-escape as if she was a delicate princess. Sora was quick to follow her, desperate to see just how far the glitter had gone.

“Yeah, and we should probably get off this roof before Tifa figures out that my ‘hypothetically’ glitter bomb wasn’t all that hypothetical,” Xion said, “but first let me bask.”

“You have five minutes to bask and then I’m slinging you over my shoulder and carrying you down that fire escape,” Axel said, “I’m already in Tifa’s bad books enough, I don’t want ‘helped and potentially encouraged Xion to build a bomb’ added to my list of crimes.”

“You didn’t know about it until now, you couldn’t of helped or encouraged me,” Xion pointed out and Axel shrugged.

“Won’t stop Tifa from thinking I did,” Axel replied.

“Well see you three soon!” Kairi said as she let Riku help her onto the fire escape herself (it wasn’t that she really needed his help but she wasn’t about to turn down the princess treatment) before he followed the other three down.

“I really can’t believe it worked,” Xion muttered, sitting on the edge of the building to watch the glitter slowly rain down.

“To be honest neither can I,” Roxas said, “especially not for it to turn out all snow-like like this. When you told me I honestly thought it would go ‘boom’ and then everything would be covered in a layer of glitter.”

“Same, to be honest,” Xion muttered, leaning on Roxas’ shoulder as the three of them watch the glitter slowly fall over the town.


	15. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always seem to do the split ones as Strife family – Romance. In other news, this is another split. 
> 
> For the first one: I know it wouldn’t make sense for Cloud to have actually spent a long amount of time in a completely different town that his brothers managed to get 0 memories of. Instead I deal with it by just giving him freakish immunity to the cold for no real reason *shrugs*. 
> 
> For the second one: No I wasn’t listening to Baby it’s Cold Outside while writing it? Why do you ask? Pairings: Riku/Sora, Sephiroth/Cloud;

“Fuck it’s cold,” Roxas muttered as he and his brothers ran into the house to gather in front of the fireplace.

“It’s really not,” Cloud said as he idly followed his brothers inside.

“It totally is,” Sora agreed, pulling his gloves off so he could warm up his hands.

“No it’s not. You guys just can’t handle the cold.”

“It’s like negative twenty out there. We can handle the cold just fine you just happen to have a freakish immunity to it,” Vanitas snarled and Cloud shrugged.

“It can’t be that cold.” 

“It is,” Roxas replied.

“Oh, well it doesn’t feel that cold…”

“Okay, that is it. I don’t care if I have to ring everyone in town to do so. I am proving that you have some superhuman immunity to the cold!” Ven said, his phone already in his hand. His brothers were quick to follow suit.

“This is ridiculous,” Cloud said, his arms crossed in an attempt to pull older brother authority. Normally that would work; for the most part his brothers did listen to what he told them to do having long accepted that he was basically their parent. This time however they weren’t going to let him pull rank on them. None of them were giving up that easily.

“No way, we have put up with this for long enough. I am not going to continue being told that I can’t handle the cold just because you have some freakish immunity to it!” Roxas said and his brothers nodded in agreement.

“So how do you plan on proving that I have this ‘freakish immunity to the cold’?” Cloud asked, still sure he could talk his brothers down from whatever plan they were forming in their heads.

“Simple: survey of everyone we know in town. If more people agree with us that it is in fact stupidly freezing cold then you have to admit you have a freakish immunity to it,” Ven said.

“And if more agree that it isn’t actually all that cold?”

“Then we admit that we’re complete babies and can’t handle the cold at all,” Sora said.

“I’d suggest you start making calls Cloud, we’re not above cheating to prove out point,” Roxas said even though they wouldn’t technically be cheating, but rather selectively picking who they survey so as to get the result they want. Axel would defiantly be questioned, his hatred of all things cold well known in the town despite the fact he was known to always feel warm to the touch. Sephiroth would not be, being nearly superhuman in his ability to not be affected by weather or seemingly any other force outside of his own body. It wasn’t actually cheating but the word was close enough for their messing with the results.

Cloud gave his brothers a wilting look before opening up his own phone.

Soon enough there was a piece of paper on the dining room table, ruled in two. On one side was all the people in town who thought the weather was unbearably cold, the other those who thought the younger Strife brothers overreacting.

The younger brothers won.

 

* * *

 

 

“Sora you aren’t seriously planning on going outside in the current weather?” Riku asked, as Sora diligently worked on wrapping himself back up into his coat.

Sora had come over to visit Riku around lunchtime, invited over for video games and raiding the Crescent kitchen while the rest of Riku’s brothers were out doing whatever they did when they were out. The video games lasted a little before Sora declared that he wanted to watch ‘bad horror movies’ so they moved to the home theatre and had stayed there until Sora glanced at his phone to discover it was 6pm. Unfortunately, because of the sound proof walls of the home theatre they two of them had missed the massive snow storm that had moved overhead and Riku was sure it would be impossible to take two steps without being blown away by the storm. He simply couldn’t allow Sora to walk home in it.

“It’ll be fine ‘ku,” Sora replied, “and anyway I told Cloud I’d be home before dinner. He’s much more dangerous than the storm if I stay out of the house longer then I told him!”

“Sora I think your brother prioritises your life over you being home when you promised,” Riku replied, sure of Cloud’s rationality.

“No he won’t! He’ll get all weird and ask me what I was doing-“

“Despite the fact you were allowed to come here and have slept over just last week?” Riku asked.

“Exactly!” Sora replied, “Cloud’s weird like that.”

Riku was sure Sora was exaggerating his oldest brother’s ‘weirdness’ but had long ago learnt to not argue with Sora about the traits Cloud apparently possessed.

“Then we ring him and tell him what happened and ask him if you can sleep the night seeing the weather is so intense,” Riku suggested, already certain he wasn’t going to let Sora go out the door no matter what he had to do to stop him.

“He’ll still be weird about it,” Sora whined as he finished putting on the last of his clothing and heading for the door.

Riku went to run after him but before Sora had a chance to reach the door it opened and Sepiroth walked in. Sora gave a shriek and Riku couldn’t blame him the eldest Crescent looked all but a step below murderous and coupled with his thick jacket and general snow covered state looked like he belonged in a _good_ horror movie as the killer.

Sephiroth ignored Sora’s shriek and instead moved to close the door and remove his thick jacket hanging it up.

“What is he still doing he?” he asked Riku who now had Sora clinging to his arm as if _Riku_ was the one who would be able to take Sephiroth in a fight.

“We were watching movies, lost track of time and the storm,” Riku replied and Sephiroth gave a nod.

“And why is he dressed like that?”

“He wants to walk home,” Riku replied hoping his brother wouldn’t suggest that was a wonderful idea and that Sora should do so right away.

“Absolutely not. Getting from the car to the house was a feat enough, I’m not about to allow the boy to die from hypothermia just because he’s decided on walking to his home in this weather.” Because Cloud would then kill him or put him in the dog-house, Riku mentally added to his brother’s statement despite being glad that Sephiroth was taking his side.

“Riku, go organise somewhere for him to sleep, the forecast says the storm is not going to let up until morning. I will inform Cloud of his brother’s location,” Sephiroth ordered before walking off towards his study. Riku was sure his brother knew that Sora would end up sleeping in Riku’s bed. He was doubly sure Sephiroth didn’t care.

“Does that work for you?” Riku asked and Sora nodded.

“Yep, no way Cloud’s going to even mention me staying over if Sephiroth calls him. He gets weird about their phone calls,” Sora said and Riku screwed up his nose.

“I don’t think I want to know why.”

“Neither do I,” Sora replied happily, “but come on let’s go see if there’s anything good on Netflix.”


	16. Ornaments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this prompt is somehow mostly dealing with Axel and Reno’s relationship which is weird but whatever it’s using Roxas as the narrator to explore it so it fits in with the ‘Strife bros’ theme and also fits in with the ‘actually explore brothers verse’ purpose. 
> 
> Quickly – any surname for Axel & Reno?
> 
> Pairings: Axel/Roxas
> 
> Warnings: death (of unnamed parents), throwing knife Advent Calendar, keeping a (defused) bomb on your dining room table as a Christmas ornament.

“What even is with your Christmas decorations?” Roxas asked as he sat on the living room couch of Axel’s apartment. He had spent the last five minutes examining all the new objects placed around the combined kitchen-livingroom-diningroom while Axel set up the movie for them to watch.

“What!? They are perfectly acceptable!” Axel protested and Roxas gave him a _look_.

“Axel, you’re Advent Calender involves throwing knives.” It did. The Advent Calender was basically a thick block of wood with the 25 days written in permanent marker, the days that had already passed were marked off by having a throwing knife imbedded in their square. The fact that the rest of the knives were on the other side of the room made Roxas believe that they were actually thrown into their intended location.

“Yeah well that thing has been around for nearly as long as I can remember – its tradition.”

The Advent Calendar had shown up the year after Axel and Reno’s parents had died. They hadn’t been given much in terms of inheritance so there wasn’t really much money to get an actual Advent Calender.

Reno made up for their lack of money with his creativity and ability to make things. Reno couldn’t even remember where he found the wooden block but he certainly didn’t _purchase_ it. The permanent marker used to mark the dates was one he had lying around and the original throwing knives had been made out of bits of metal that Reno found out in the ruins outside of town. The wall they had originally used as the Advent Calendar’s hanging space was now covered by a bookcase so the landlord never found out what they had done to it.

The only thing that had changed since then were the knives used. The crude hand-made ones replaced with expensive professional-grade knives. They had split the old ones in half between the two of them when they replaced them. Both brothers had kept their part of them safe.

“A throwing knife Advent Calender, fireworks, is there anything about your Christmas ‘traditions’ that doesn’t have the possibility in killing someone?” Roxas asked and Axel shrugged.

“Those traditions gave us both good life lessons, such as how to throw a throwing knife accurately and how to not get blown up from your own explosives,” Axel replied and Roxas rolled his eyes.

“And once again I am baffled as to how you both have managed to live as long as you have.”

“You’re glad I have though? You’re life wouldn’t be the same without me?” Axel teased and Roxas shrugged.

“I’m sure I would have found something else to fill whatever gap you left.”

“Mean.”

“You’re the one who wanted to date me,” Roxas replied, ignoring as Axel snuggled up next to him. “What about the rest of the decorations? Do they all have stories as well?”

“For the most part. Do you want to hear them all?”

“Maybe not them all but some of them.”

“Okay then. How about you point some out and I’ll tell you the story behind them if there is one.”

Roxas snuggled in slightly closer to Axel as he looked around the room and all the various weird and wonderful items that had now shown up. It was strange to think just how little he knew about his boyfriend, especially when his own family’s story was so well known in the town. Sure Roxas had known Axel was an orphan, but that was really only from the odd times Reno would show up at the Strife residence and run his mouth before Cloud managed to chase him off. Other than that very little was known about the two brothers, which seemed to be exactly the way Reno liked it.

In the sea of weird decorations Roxas managed to spot one that actually looked like it could belong in his own house during the season. “What’s with the wreath next to the fridge?”

“That’s from our parents,” Axel replied.

“That it?”

“You did pick the most boring item in the house,” Axel pointed out. “I mean it’s one of the like five things we still have that they owned, but other than that that’s it. It was our parents and then they died and now it’s ours.”

“And you still put it out every year?”

“Yep. It’s not like we’re going to let it just sit in storage.”

“Fair enough. What about the bomb table centre?” There was really no other way to describe the thing sitting in the centre of the living room table. Sure it was decorating in various Christmas ribbons and small baubles but it was still very clearly a bomb as the base. Roxas hoped it was a fake.

“Oh. The first time Reno defused a bomb for work happened to be during December one year. He asked if he could take it home to remember the occasion, they said yes, and he decorated it to fit the holiday season before putting it in the centre of the table. After Christmas it got packed away with the Christmas decorations and then every year since then it’s just been treated as one.”

“You are sure it is actually defused right?” Roxas asked, eyeing the bomb cautiously.

“Yeah I mean they wouldn’t have let him take it home if it wasn’t right? Plus I’m sure if it hadn’t been properly defused back then Reno would have done it by now.”

“This is Reno we’re talking about,” Roxas pointed out and Axel suddenly joined him in watching the bomb carefully as if it were to explode any minute.

“He wouldn’t risk this place though? Right? I mean it’s our home?” Axel’s voice sounded anything but sure.

“I’m pretty sure Cloud’s out at the moment, how about we move back to my place and watch Netflix in my room or something?” Roxas suggested and Axel nodded.

“Yeah that sounds like a great idea, let’s do that.” They were both outside the apartment building in under a minute.


	17. Wreath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again Cloud & co seem to have taken over this oneshot. Oh well. 
> 
> Pairings: Cloud/Aerith

Sora knew his brother would likely claim the house seeing as all the other Strife brothers had left it. Vanitas had left first, carrying only his wallet, cigarettes and lighter; the sun having barely rose for the day (which was unusual seeing he as normally the nocturnal brother). Ven had been next, he had promised Aqua and Terra to help with decorating their apartment and had told them he would be there after breakfast. Roxas and Sora had left much the same time for much the same reasons. Roxas was going to Axel’s because Reno was at work and therefore the apartment was free. Sora went to Kairi’s as her house was similarly free, Xion was at Axel’s and Namine was up in her room drawing (she did eventually join them downstairs but none of them minded having her company).

Sora probably wouldn’t have returned home until dinner if not for the fact the three of them decided to go to the movies and he needed to pick up his wallet. The house was left free for Cloud to take and apparently Zack, Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie were the ones to claim it with him.

Zack had the Play Station controller but it was clear it wasn’t just him playing. Commands were yelled by the three viewers as he tried to complete some level of Portal that Sora didn’t remember reaching during his attempts of the game. He took comfort in the fact that despite the fact there were four people trying to figure out the puzzle of the level they still kept dying.

Aerith wasn’t taking part though. Instead she was sitting up at the table that had obviously been carried in just for her and was carefully working on creating something out of a pile of leaves and berries. She was also the only one to notice his arrival.

“Good afternoon Sora. What brings you home early?”

“Just picking up my wallet so we can go to the movies,” Sora replied and Aerith gave him one of her pleasant, calm smiles.

“I hope you enjoy it then.”

“Thanks, I’m sure I will.” Sora went to go up the stairs to pick up his wallet but paused and turned his attention back onto the women. “What are you doing by the way?”

“Making a wreath,” Aerith replied as if that was a thing everyone did.

“Don’t you just buy those?”

“What do you think people did before everything could be made out of plastic Sora?” Cloud asked, having obviously noticed his brother’s presence now that there was a break in the game.

Cloud walked over to where Aerith was as Tifa was working on wrestling the remote out of Zack’s hand as he clearly ‘didn’t have the reaction time needed to finish the level’.

Zack was holding firm though, saying how he just needed one more try, “I’ve nearly got it!”

“Just hand it over Zack, you clearly suck,” Yuffie said before quickly dodging the hand that reached out to grab her.

“I do not suck just give me one more chance and I’ll hand it over!”

Cloud and Aerith watched the struggle with thinly hidden amusement before Cloud pressed a kiss to Aerith’s forehead. “How you going with it?”

“Clearly better then you are with the game,” she replied with a grin.

“Yeah well I don’t think this game is designed to be one you can beat.”

Aerith gave a content hum leaning against Cloud. Sora reflexly made a gagging motion.

“Immature,” Cloud muttered however soon his attention was drawn back to the three still attempting to play. “Zack I swear to god if you break that remote I will make you pay for a new one!”

“So why are you making a wreath instead of buying it?” Sora asked Aerith as his brother went over to help pry the remote from Zack’s hands so they could resume playing.

“I like it. I know I could just buy one and it would last for years but I’d rather make it by hand every year. I like having parts of nature in my house, and even perfect plastic replica’s just don’t feel the same. And anyway, if I make a new one each there the one I’ve made is special for that Christmas you know?”

“That’s so cool!” Sora replied, honestly excited. “I wish we had something like that.”

“Well it does take time and practice,” Aerith said as she weaved one of the leaves into the base of the wreath. “And I’m sure your decorations have sentiment too?”

“Yeah well none that are original every year.”

“I’m sure your tree must change appearance every year?”

“Oh yeah! I guess you’re right. Still it’s cool that you can just make a wreath.”

Aerith laughed at Sora’s comment, flushing lightly in the way people did when they were complimented. “Like I said it took me lots of practice to be able to make them as well as I can now. When I was younger they would sometimes take on interesting shapes.”

There was a thud on the other side and both Sora and Aerith looked back over at the pile of bodies who, in their fight for the remote had knocked over the coffee table.

“I should probably go sort them out,” Aerith said with a sigh. She stood up from her table and gently brushed the twigs and dirt that had fallen on her skirt off before giving Sora another one of her smiles. “Shouldn’t you get going now? I thought you had a movie to go watch?”

“Crap!” Sora swore before blushing, “Sorry, Aerith.” It somehow didn’t seem appropriate to swear around her.

“I can assure you I’ve heard worse, especially from that lot,” Aerith replied inclining her head to the pile that now had Cloud threatening to Crack Zack’s head open on the tipped over coffee table if he ‘didn’t give back the fucking controller’.

“Yeah well… I should go,” Sora said and Aerith said goodbye. He quickly ran up the stairs to his room and found his wallet. On his way out of the house he had to dodge Zack who had apparently decided the best way to keep the controller in his possession was to run away from the people who were trying to take it from it. Sora would be glad his friends were more mature then his brothers if he could at all pretend it to be true.


	18. Giving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to split this in three. Then Sora’s part went for over 1000 words. Now it is only 1. 
> 
> Pairings: implied/hinted!Sora/Riku/Kairi

“I can’t believe this will be the last time I see you guys until New Years!” Sora cried hugging both Riku and Kairi tightly. They had spent the majority of the day together at Sora’s house and the sun was now setting outside. Riku and Kairi had decided to leave before the rest of the Strife family returned home from wherever they had ended up that day.

There was still two days until Christmas but for both of those the Strife family would be busy with their own Christmas celebrations. After that they were going to be out of town visiting family until New Year’s Eve. Sora liked his cousins and really did enjoy visiting them (something that couldn’t be said for Vanitas) but he hated being away from his friends more.

“Sora, it will be fine. We have phones and computers and – you will be able to access the internet at your cousins’ right?” Kairi asked and Sora nodded. “Well then, we have access to the internet, we can text the whole time you’re gone and skype every night.”

“Still I won’t be able to hug you guys!”

“Sora it’s like one week, you’ll be fine. We’ve done this before tonnes of time.” They had, with Sephiroth’s odd family camping trips (which were really wilderness training in a disguise of family bonding) and Kairi’s habit of following Namine on her ‘art inspiration’ trips (she still didn’t know where her sister got the money for them) it wasn’t uncommon for the three of them not to see each other for a week or two (or a month during that one Crescent family bonding trip that involved Sephiroth dragging his brothers to just about every terrain he could think of). Still Sora wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to be dramatic about parting with his friends.

“But I won’t be able to see you until New Year’s. I can’t have a Christmas gathering in the New Year!” It wasn’t official or anything but every year the three of them would get together to exchange their Christmas presents and hang out. All of the Strife brothers had a version of it even if they greatly differed from each other.

“Sora, don’t worry about a Christmas gathering,” Riku said.

“Noooo, it’s wrong not having a Christmas gathering! When else am I supposed to give you guys your Christmas presents?”

“It can wait until next year,” Kairi said.

“But that isn’t right!”

“Well Sora there’s not much else we can do about that,” Riku said shrugging as Sora pouted for a second longer before giving a grin.

“Good thing I brought them today then!” Digging into his pockets Sora pulled out two small boxes perfectly wrapped in possibly the most obnoxiously Christmas wrapping paper in existence (the sort of wrapping paper only a person like Sora would buy).

Kairi gave a sly grin of her own in response before pulling out two boxes from her bag. They couldn’t even remotely be called perfectly wrapped but the paper did successfully cover the presents. It was a much tamer paper that was Christmas coloured but could still be used for birthday presents without being obviously repurposed Christmas paper.

“I would say I was surprised by this turn of events if I was at all surprised,” Riku said pulling out two boxes from his pocket. His were just as neatly wrapped in Disney-themed Christmas wrapping paper – various Disney characters with Santa hats covered the paper with the ‘Merry Christmas’ being written in the fonts of all the various Disney classic movie title cards.

“Does your brother know you own that?” Kairi asked, trying to image Sephiroth allowing anything that looked like the wrapping paper in his house. Sora was too busy grinning to care what wrapping paper was used.

“No, and we’re keeping it that way,” Riku said. He had hidden the paper in his room and was only using it for the presents of his friends. He knew he’d still have half a roll left at the end of the season.

Sora had started blubbering by the time the other two returned their attention onto him. “I can’t believe you guys both did this!”

“Really Sora? We know what you’re like about Christmas. Did you think we would neglect to give you your presents just because you were going to be seeing family?” Kairi asked and Sora grinned.

“You guys are really the best!” Despite the fact they both knew it was coming both Riku and Kairi were nearly knocked over from the force of Sora’s hug.

“Sora it’s nothing really,” Riku replied, one hand wrapped around Sora’s back, lighting gripping the T-shirt so Sora couldn’t keep going and actually knock Riku or Kairi over.

“Seriously though Sora, are you just going to stand there giving us a hug or are you going to hand over the presents?” Kairi asked with mock impatience.

“I don’t think you deserve them now,” Sora jokingly replied, holding the presents up so Kairi had to stretch to grab them from his hand. Riku had no such trouble and easily grabbed them both before checking the name tags and handing the one that belonged to Kairi to her.

Soon enough both Riku and Kairi’s presents were also given to their respective owners.

“We should probably head off,” Riku said as the street lights outside light up.

“It feels wrong opening these presents without the person giving them to you seeing your reaction…” Kairi muttered staring down at the two presents she held in her hand.

“You can stay a little longer if you want,” Sora replied also feeling unwilling to open the presents without the other two present. “I mean it’s not like my brothers are going to kick you out – you merely have to deal with them.”

“You sure that’s okay?” Riku asked even though he knew the chance that it wouldn’t be was slim.

“Yeah, of course!” Sora replied and Kairi grinned.

“What are we waiting for then! Let’s head back inside where it’s warm and open up our presents!” There was little reason for the two boys to argue with that logic.


	19. Reindeer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said these prompts would all happen within the same year of Brothers Verse but this idea was just too cute for me to pass up. 
> 
> Literally had to go through and change all the ‘Lightning’s into ‘Claire’s because I remembered this was before she changed her name in the verse.

The Strife parents had decided to visit family and have Christmas together. Which mean that the five brothers were all crammed into one bedroom of the Farron household (honestly they were grateful not to have to sleep on couches).  Cloud wouldn’t have minded if not for the fact the gods decided to make it storm on Christmas Eve, and with 5 year old Roxas being afraid of storms it meant that Cloud had to share his bed with his brother after calming Sora down that no, Santa wasn’t going to get injured in the storm he had methods to deal with it and all the presents would be delivered exactly on schedule.

After having finally calmed Roxas down enough that his younger brother may actually get some sleep at night Cloud heard the sound of something hitting the roof. Hail, he guessed. Sora, having yet to experience the phenomenon in his five years of life had a different idea.

“Reindeer,” Sora said after a gasp.

“Sora, I don’t think it’s Reindeer,” Vanitas muttered sleepily. Cloud tried to remember if the older set of twins had been around for a hail storm.

“Shhhh Vanitas, if Santa knows we’re awake he won’t deliver any presents!” Sora said in a hurried and hushed tone.

Vanitas muttered, “I still don’t think its Reindeer,” but keep quiet after that. Cloud was in on the Santa-not-being-real secret but Vanitas was not. Vanitas would not risk his Christmas presents over winning an argument with his brother. 

“I hope Santas is okay in the storm,” Ven said. Cloud was sure he had been asleep but the storm must have woken him as he was now staring up at the ceiling.

“He’ll be fine,” Cloud muttered, “now go to sleep or else he won’t deliver your presents.” That seemed to make Ven quiet down as well.

“Yeah Ven, Santa probably has some anti-storm magic, or technology, or something,” Sora understood that there was a difference between magic and technology but struggled to identify what it was. “He has to deliver presents all over the world and probably has to fly over volcanos and stuff. He must have something to stop all the presents from getting damaged or the reindeer from getting hurt.”

“Sora,” Cloud said softly, “Remember you need to go to sleep so Santa gave bring you your presents.”

“Oh, right,” Sora replied, shifting down in the bed.

“Yeah Sora you had better not stop Santa from delivering my presents,” Vanitas said.

“Van, you too, and Ven as well.” The older twins gave a pout at their brother’s comment but settled down as well.

There was a few minutes of silence and Cloud was sure they had all managed to get to sleep when another voice spoke up.

“Cloud? Is what Sora said true?” Apparently Roxas had not been asleep at all during the conversation held between his brothers as was sleepily peering up at his brother from where he was settled in Cloud’s bed.

“I don’t know Rox,” Cloud replied, “probably. But I do know you need to go to sleep if you want Santa to deliver the presents at all. So come on.”

“Okay then,” Roxas replied with a yawn and surprisingly did drift off soon after. Cloud was more than happy about that fact, not looking forward to having to distract Roxas from the storm long enough that he could fall asleep again.

Soon enough Cloud followed his brother into sleep.

The next morning the brothers were woken by their parents and with Cloud’s herding managed to not destroy the entirety of the Farron home in their attempts at breaking their necks to get downstairs and to their presents.

“The storm got pretty bad last night?” Claire asked looking just as bleary as Cloud did. Her own two younger sisters just as excitedly running around the living room in a mad rush to get everything and everyone organised so they could open their presents as soon as possible.

“Yeah,” Cloud replied and the two sat in comfortable silence.

After a few minutes of trying to push the adults into _hurrying up_ so that the presents could be opened the younger children decided to sit and excitedly wait for their parents up get there. Sora informed the two younger Farron’s about his brothers’ experiences the night before in hearing Santa’s reindeer.

“Reindeer?” Claire asked Cloud, her eyebrow raised.

“The hail.”

“Oh.” A minutes pause. “They never heard it before?”

“Van and Ven might have but Sora and Roxas defiantly haven’t,” Cloud replied.

“And you didn’t correct them?”

“Roxas doesn’t like storms at the best of times, I don’t think he would enjoy the idea that shards of ice could fall from the sky,” Cloud replied before shrugging. “Plus, I’m not going to ruin Christmas magic for them.”

“Such a good big brother.” The parents had finally managed to arrive in the living room, most with cups of coffee in their hands. Cloud eyed the cups with envy. He had never had coffee before but knew well enough what it did to be willing to try it in order to fight off the tiredness he felt from being constantly woken in the night from his brother’s reactions to the storm. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his cousin doing much the same. He wondered which of her sister’s feared the weather.

“You’d do the same,” Cloud replied to Claire’s comment dragging her attention back onto him and away from the coffee.

“That’s the job a big sibling though,” Claire replied and Cloud nodded.

Soon enough their younger siblings were excitedly dragging them over to the Christmas tree and the presents beneath it. They would both probably sneak off to take a nap sometime later in the day but for now they would hide their tiredness so their younger siblings didn’t think they had somehow caused them annoyance from going to them in the night when they were scared.

Cloud wondered when the next hail storm would hit and if his brothers would ever realise it wasn’t reindeer on the room of the house that night. 


	20. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We haven’t had a depressing one of these yet have we? Well, time for one now. 
> 
> TW: death of parents

Cloud found Vanitas in the living room, the remote in one hand and thermos containing probably alcoholic liquid resting at his feet. The younger strife was watching some crude cartoon on TV, where the punchline was that one of the characters died.

Vanitas didn’t even look like he was enjoying the show. He was watching it for the sake of watching it and every now and then taking a swig of the thermos. 

There was something about Vanitas that had made him the black sheep of the family but Cloud wondered if that had been a title Vanitas had actually tried to make for himself or something that he had been made to accept. Either way he had certainly changed a lot since he was a kid.

Cloud didn’t remember Vanitas being born. He remembered Sora and Roxas being born but didn’t have memories of the older two being born. Maybe he wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on or maybe he wasn’t told. He had memories of the two as babies though. Ven was the troublesome one back then, screaming day and night for his parent’s attention. Vanitas was a lot quieter than his brother, smiling when people looked at him and only crying when he really needed something. Cloud spent a lot of time with Vanitas as a baby, Ven demanded his parents attention but Vanitas was happy to be with his big brother.

Even as children Vanitas was no worse than Ven. Sure Vanitas could be slightly naughtier than his twin but Ven was more inclined to tantrums. Vanitas would break the toy and then Ven would demand his parents buy them a new one. Cloud had watched that happen many times when he was growing up.

For the most part though, Ven was the kind of kid who ran off going on adventures from when he was five. Vanitas was the one who stuck close to his parents, their ever present ‘shadow’.  Vanitas was a bit shy while Ven was social and the two as children were so similar to Sora and Roxas it was almost uncanny.

That all changed when their parents died.

Vanitas had always been closer to them than any of his brothers so it only made sense that he was hit the hardest when they died.

At first it was just the normal level of mourning. All the brothers had been hit hard by it, but Vanitas was hit the hardest. Not that anyone blamed him.

Cloud was the only one that was able to function for the first month following their parent’s deaths, but he had no choice. He had to make important decisions that would forever change the five brother’s lives. He would hate himself if he made the wrong decision from grief.

Slowly the other three brothers got better but Vanitas didn’t.

At first everyone just assumed it was because Vanitas had been that much closer to their parents before they died. ‘Give him time’, they said, ‘he’ll come around’.

Instead Vanitas just became worse, more angry, at his brothers first and then at the rest of the world. There was little Cloud could do to stop him from trying to self-destruct, any attempts to stop him from lashing out at others were nearly impossible.

Eventually it became clear that Vanitas needed help and a therapist was obtained. It was supposed to make him better, help him return to the person he had been before their parents had died. Help him with his grief.

After two sessions there was a mysterious fire that occurred in the building that held the office of the therapist, the therapist herself was lucky to escape with her life. Vanitas refused to go back when she opened up a new office. Cloud had a feeling forcing the subject would result in the death of the poor woman (not that he had the time to be arguing with his brother about such things with his two jobs and school work to worry about).

As the years went on Vanitas went from angry to anti-social. About 50% of the graffiti in town was the work of Vanitas and that was his more tame behaviour.

Cloud was slightly stirred from his thoughts when Ven came down the stairs and tried to fight his brother off the couch in order to get the remote. Vanitas sneered at his brother and managed to deter Ven from taking the remote from him but not before throwing some insults around.

Once he was sure his brother had left Vanitas took another swig from his thermos of probably-alcohol and returned his attention onto the show.

The two had been close once, when they were young. Sure Ven wanted to go on adventures and Vanitas stick closer to home but they always wanted the other to be _with_ them in their environment of choice. Again, so much like Roxas and Sora (except Roxas and Sora never seemed to grow out of it). Now the two seemed to barely be able to stand being in the same room together and Vanitas would cause grief to his brother until he left.

Sora and Roxas were next down the stairs, both rushing out to meet their friends somewhere (at least that was what they said when Cloud asked them). Roxas barely gave Vanitas a look as he went to leave the house. Sora however leant over the back of the couch to hug his brother and tell him where the two of them were going. Vanitas made a swipe at Sora for the hug but his younger brother was too fast moving even for him and his glares where ignored.

Aerith had a theory that Vanitas was so cruel to his brothers because he was jealous of their ability to bounce back after their parent’s death. That he wished had had made the friends they did and was mean to because of it. Cloud was pretty sure she was right (but then again Aerith was always right in matters of the heart). 

Sora and Roxas barely remembered their parents, still being young when they died. One could hardly tell that they had lost their parents as kids if they met them now. Ven still remembered their parents, he had moments where he would get a look on his face that Cloud knew was one of remembering them, but it would pass and he would be back to his bright self.

Cloud wondered if Vanitas would ever really regain himself from their deaths.

“What do you want?” Vanitas asked, having noticed Cloud watching him.

“Nothing, just thinking.”

Vanitas gave a snort, “well it had better not be about me.”

“And if it was?”

“Then you clearly need another fuck-buddy because you have too much time on your hands,” Vanitas muttered turning the TV off and grabbing his thermos. “I’m going out.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” Cloud said, despite knowing it to be futile.

“Sure, whatever. Not that you care.” Vanitas gave a flick of his wrist which was probably supposed to be a wave and left, leaving Cloud the only one left in the home that his parents had once brought for them all.


	21. Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt split in two. Oh god was it hard to think up ideas for this one TBH, major time spent staring at an empty word document waiting for inspiration 
> 
> For the first one: Warnings for another joke about Hojo committing torture in a verse where he actually doesn’t. 
> 
> For the second one: Warning for making fun of high school teacher, also brief joke about having PTSD over something completely innocent (an annoying bell)

“Sora I think this is a bad idea,” Roxas said as he watched his brother sew bells onto some Christmas elf outfit he had obtained from gods-knows-where.

“I can’t see how it could possibly be one,” Sora replied and Roxas actually believed his brother somehow honestly couldn’t think of any way that his idea could end badly.

“Should I start going down the family tree or perhaps likelihood of them physically harming?”

Sora laughed as if the thought of people disliking his new outfit was ridiculous. “Why would anyone ‘physically harm’ me for this?”

“Well depending on how annoying these bells are,” Roxas grabbed one of them from the pile yet to be sewed onto the clothing and rang it next to his ear. “Yep, just the sound of these is bound to send any of our brothers murderous.”

“Including Ven?”

“Okay, maybe not Ven. He’s probably the only other person on the planet that things this is a good idea.” 

“I know you’re wrong there,” Sora replied grabbing the bell that Roxas was holding to add to the outfit.

“Don’t tell me you got the idea for this from someone else?” Roxas begged, trying to hold onto the belief that only his brother would think of an idea like this.

“Well…” Sora started with a _look_ that told Roxas all he needed to know.

“Oh god, who? No, actually, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know about any of this because I think I need plausible deniability in order to avoid being given any responsibility for _this_ from either Cloud or Vanitas.”

“I still don’t know why you would think any of them would have a problem with this!” Sora said and Roxas was sure of his brother’s insanity there.

“Sora, I think the outfit itself would be enough to make Vanitas want to kill you. It is so obnoxiously ‘Christmas’ I’m pretty sure he’ll want to destroy it on sight. The bells will just add to that want. And Cloud? He may have managed to obtain a somewhat superhuman ability to ignore the weirdness that is you, but I’m pretty sure the constant shrill of these bells,” Roxas picked up another one of the bells and shook it to give an example of the sound, “will turn even him homicidal.”

“Why did Hojo torture him with Christmas music as well?” Sora asked with a grin on his face.

“What?”

“Don’t worry, inside joke,” Sora replied with a shake of his head and a small giggle.

“Whatever. I still don’t want to be held responsible to whoever this drives insane first for your idea. So as far as everyone else is aware I know nothing about this.”

“Come on Roxas, don’t you want to be involved in spreading Christmas cheer?”

“No Sora, if this is the way of going about it, I really don’t. Now if you will excuse me I’m going to try and get as far away from the house as possible before you actually finish that thing and drive our older brothers insane.” Roxas didn’t even give his brother enough time to reply. He just got up and left the room to try and figure out which of his friends would let him sleep over the night.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

“You know I know these bells are supposed to be all Christmasey or something but I cannot shake the association of them with Mrs Greenhill,” Zack said.

Zack had come over to help Cloud fix the various broken items that the younger Strife brothers had somehow managed to find in the house within a week. Halfway through fixing one of the bathroom sinks they discovered they needed a new washer and after a quick check of all the other required pieces for the rest of the repairs they had left the house to go purchase the missing items. Of course when the younger Strife brothers found out they were going shopping they quickly decided to tag along.

“I think I remember her?” Cloud replied.

“You mustn’t of had her that often. She was the one with that bell that she would ring whenever she wanted the class to pay attention to her.”

“Which was constantly,” Cloud said with a grimace. “Yeah, I remember her.”

“I don’t,” Sora replied.

“She probably got fired,” Cloud said.

“She _hopefully_ got fired,” Zack added before gently nudging Ven, “was she still around when you were there?”

Ven had nearly tuned out of the conversation and into his own plans for the next few days but the nudge from Zack brought him back, “Ah, I think so? I only had her as a relief teacher twice in like grade eight so I can’t really say for sure?”

“Do you know what happened to her?”

“No. Ask Vanitas he has a better memory for which teachers left and for what reasons,” Ven left of the fact that Vanitas was the reason half the teachers left and the reason why he knew was because he kept score of how many he scared away versus how many left because of other reasons.

Zack at least seemed satisfied with the result. Pulling out his phone he quickly typed out a message to the only Strife currently not in his company. Five minutes later he got a reply.

“She left. Because of the Crescent triplets apparently,” Zack said, “good riddance I say.”

“She can’t have been so bad as to deserve the _triplets_ causing her so much grief that she left the school,” Sora said and Cloud shrugged.

“She deserved it.”

“The constant sound of that bell, every five minutes, ‘ting-a-ling-a-ling, attention class, I need your attention, ting-a-ling-a-ling’,” Zack mimicked the movement of ringing a bell while pitching his voice upwards to mimic the teacher.

“And then she would make some comment like, ‘I’m glad to see you all doing your work’ before shutting up again,” Cloud added. “Then five minutes later-“

“’ting-a-ling-a-ling, attention class, I need your attention, ting-a-ling-a-ling’.”

“Seriously?” Roxas asked.

“Seriously.”

“It was the worst!” Zack said, “you three should be glad you weren’t exposed to her for long periods of time. It was something that could drive _anyone_ insane and the Christmas bells sound _exactly_ like hers. I swear I have war flashbacks every year!”

“You’re just being ridiculous now,” Ven said.

“He is,” Cloud agreed, “but that women was insane.”

“I’m just glad I never have to see her again,” Zack said. Five minutes later they ran into Mrs Greenhill three isles down.


	22. Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m pretty sure this temporarily changed POV’s for a bit in the middle there… oops. 
> 
> Also first time writing Angeal, so you know, still working on characterisation / how to write him and such. 
> 
> Pairings (obviousness varying between them): Axel/Roxas/Xion, Sora/Riku/Kairi, Cloud/Angeal, Cloud/Zack,

Cloud opened the door already knowing who would be on the other side. The other three had already shown up with their own replies to his brothers’ begging.

Angeal looked mildly confused, which Cloud didn’t blame him for. The request was a bit sudden but Sora would have been unbearable if Cloud hadn’t of asked for him.

“Good morning Cloud,” Angeal said with his kind and patient smile. “I bought what you asked for.”

He held up a tin that obvious contained the cookies Sora had asked Cloud to obtain. Almost a second the tin was within sight of the house Roxas appeared (Cloud swore out of nowhere) and took it from Angeal’s hand. He would have vanished back into the house if not for Cloud grabbing him by the edge of his shirt and dragging him back.

“Say ‘Thank you’,” Cloud ordered.

“Thank you,” Roxas replied, clutching the tin close to his chest.

“You’re welcome,” Angeal replied. With a nod Roxas had darted off again and Cloud gave a sigh as he watched him go.

“Sorry about him,” Cloud said, moving to the side. “They’re all a bit too excited about his ‘battle of the cookie’ thing they’re doing. Come in by the way, Zack’s here as well.”

“’Battle of the cookie’?” Angeal asked as he walked into the Strife residence.

“It was Sora’s idea. Try and figure out which, of all the Christmas cookies they can get their hands on is the best. I think they’ve gone stir-crazy from the holidays.”

“At least they are staying out of trouble.”

“Sora, Roxas and Ven may be but I doubt Vanitas is merely going on ‘walks’ when he disappears for hours on end.”

“Still, you’ve done a good job raising them,” Angeal said and Cloud lightly flushed under the praise. Sure he often heard it but he still liked being told he hadn’t somehow completely fucked up in deciding to raise his brothers by himself.

“Thank you, it sure doesn’t feel like it some days.”

If the conversation had any chance of remaining serious it was removed when the two of them entered the kitchen. Sora and Roxas were busy creating ‘sample plates’ of all the cookies they had gathered (which was a surprisingly large amount despite the fact most of them had been baked at the start of the month). Hayner, Pence, Riku, Kairi, Namine and Xion had been nominated as the taste-testers and as such were sitting on the other side of the bench blindfolded (some more comfortably then others). Zack and Olette were sitting on the dining room table talking, they had both been deemed too close to one (or in Zack’s case two) of the contenders to be allowed to judge.

When Zack saw Angeal he was quick to his feet and walked over to give the other male a hug. “’Geal, so glad you could make it. We thought we’d have to start without you!”

“Don’t encourage him. Once he found out what they were planning to do he’s been just as involved in making it happen as them,” Cloud said from Angeal’s side.

“Come on Spike, I think it’s a great idea. Settle it once and for all – who in this town makes the best Christmas cookies!” Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud and grinned.

“Who do you want to win?” Cloud asked and Zack’s grin faltered. Angeal managed to suppress the smile that threatened to grow at the reaction.

After a second of Zack pouting he managed to collect himself again to grin. “It’s not my decision, so I’ll leave it up to the judges’ hands.”

“That isn’t an answer to my question,” Cloud said and Zack gave a shrug.

“Isn’t it a bit unfair to just use the cookies we’ve baked earlier? Shouldn’t we all bake a new batch for it?” Angeal asked having made his way over to the kitchen to watch as Sora and Roxas busily organised the cookies to be tested.

“No, see, this is what makes it fair,” Sora explained. “If we gave you all warning you’d make the best Christmas cookies you possible could. Perhaps making batch after batch of cookie in order to ensure that yours was the best you could possible make. This way we’re seeing who can make the best Christmas cookie on _average_.”

Angeal doubted any of the potential contestants would care enough to make batch after batch of cookies just to win an arbitrary competition held by the younger Strife brothers who seemed to live by the theory that any food was good food. Still, he wouldn’t be the one to tell them they had overthought their competition. That was Cloud’s job.

“You’ve really put way too much thought into this,” Cloud said having disentangled himself from Zack and making his own way into the kitchen.

“No we haven’t,” Sora said with a pout but Roxas at least seemed to be giving the statement credit. “We’ve given it exactly as much thought as it needed.”

“Is that why Axel isn’t taking part?” Olette asked, having noticed that he was the only person currently dating one of the twins who wasn’t part of the judge panel. She wasn’t really that invested in the end result but didn’t really have anywhere else to be that day and nearly all of her friends were here so she couldn’t hang out with them either.

“Axel has no sense of taste,” Roxas replied and Xion nodded in agreement despite the fact she was still blindfolded.

“Can we please hurry this up?” Hayner asked, “I’d really like my sense of sight back before the sun sets.”

“Why? You planning on going on a romantic date to see it?” Roxas asked and Cloud was sure Hayner would be glaring daggers at him if his eyes were uncovered.

“No, I just don’t get off on not having my sight unlike _some_ people in this room.”

Angeal obviously realised that the conversation would likely end in bloodshed if allowed to continue down the path it was currently on. With a hand on Roxas’ shoulder, stopping the younger Strife from lounging across the table to attempt to kill his friend Angeal suggested that Sora and Roxas should hurry up slightly so their friends could regain their sight as soon as possible.

Cloud figured he wasn’t needed and left his brothers to complete the insane competition they had thought up.


	23. Sparkles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been reading classic books recently so sorry if my writing reflects them. 
> 
> Also I mentally turned ‘Sparkles’ into Glitter. So this is basically a glitter prompt 2.0. I would apologise but the two are basically the same thing.

It all started with an email that sent Sora running to Cloud as if someone had been murdered.

“Cloud! Cloud! Terrible news Cloud!”

“Sora what!? What’s wrong!?” Cloud was half sure someone was dead or that one of his brothers had somehow seriously hurt themselves and were lying, bleeding out in a ditch somewhere.

“Lightning’s banned glitter in their house!”

“What?”

“I said Lightning’s banned-“

“I heard you the first time Sora,” Cloud said, holding his hand up to silence his brother. “Is that really all that this is about?”

“All that this is about? Cloud I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation. Lightning has banned all glitter in her house for the entirety of Christmas!”

“Sora, first of all, don’t ever come to me in a state like that because of glitter every again unless said glitter is somehow killing your brothers. And second, I don’t blame her.” Not after last year’s incident, that really, now that Cloud thought about it was just as much Sora’s fault as Serah’s. Cloud just didn’t think to ban glitter for the next year’s holiday season. He found himself wishing he had.

“But Cloud, don’t you understand that this is the worst thing that could have possible happened!” Sora whined but it fell on deaf ears.

“Why does it even bother you Sora?” Cloud asked. It wasn’t as if a ban on glitter at the Farron household could really affect his brother three towns over.

“Because it’s not fair for Serah to miss out on a major part of the Christmas celebrations.”

“She should have thought of that before she decided to go through with the plan of yours last year.” Sora was petty enough to stick his tongue out at his brother for that comment.

“It’s still not fair, and we’re going to be staying over there the week after Christmas. You know I can’t survive without glitter!”

That was something Cloud actually thought might be true. Sora seemed to be constantly in contact with glitter in one form or another. For one of his birthday’s many years ago Namine had made him a small glitter bottle that Sora now kept on his person nearly 24/7. Still, Cloud would support Lightning’s decision.

“You’ll just have to learn to live without it for a couple of days Sora,” Cloud advised and Sora slumped.

“But Cloud~” he whined.

“No Sora,” Cloud said and the conversation was over.

Sora sulked his way back to his bedroom but wasn’t about to give up that easily. He would find a way to lift the glitter-ban at the Farron-household or die trying.

First, like all good tactical missions (from what he had learnt from Riku, from what Riku had been forced to learn from Sephiroth), he needed to obtain some allies. Kairi was easy enough to convince to join the cause; she thought it was a crime that someone would have to have a Christmas without glitter. Namine and Xion soon followed, both rallied behind their sister and the cause. Xion dragged Roxas with her, and while he could see Sora’s point he could also see Lightning’s, especially after what had happened the year prior.

Next Sora flooded Lighting with messages. Email, text, social media private messages (and even some comments on walls), they were all used in order to try and get her to change her mind. None of it worked.

“I don’t get it,” Kairi said, one day during a ‘planning session’, “why does she not want glitter so bad?”

“I know!” Sora said and Roxas rolled his eyes.

“Because of what Sora and Serah did last year,” Roxas explained.

“What did they do that was so bad that it cause glitter to be banned for the _entire_ Christmas season the next year?”

“You don’t want to know,” Roxas replied, staring off into the distance as if haunted by some horrid memory. “Just be glad you weren’t there.”

“Roxas stop being melodramatic!” Sora protested but his brother refused to change his position.

Sora’s attempts to get Ventus to join their crusade failed. His brother was of a mind that he wasn’t going to get involved in the war going on between Sora and Lightning and even if he did he was more leaning towards Lightning’s side. “Not because of the glitter itself Sora, but because of what happened last year. If it wasn’t for that I’d completely be on your side in this.”

“Last year wasn’t even that bad!” Sora complained, collapsing on his brother’s bed.

“Sora, for a bit there I honestly feared for my life,” Roxas replied calmly. If he was honest if it hadn’t been for Xion near begging him to join Sora’s side he would be taking the same position Ven had.

“You weren’t in any danger.”

“Sure felt like I was though.”

“Chicken.”

As the days moved on and the glitter-ban of the Farron household had not lifted Sora started to get desperate. His messages to Lightning were getting more pleading and had had on many occasions begged and attempted to bribe his older brothers to his side. They held firm in their current positions.

“It looks like we’re going to have to take desperate measures,” Sora said in the final strategy meeting before the group would be unable to see each other until after the Strife’s visit to the Farron household for the holidays.

“Sora, no,” Roxas said already predicting what his brother would do.

“Roxas I have no choice.”

“Lightning will kill you if you do this. _Cloud_ will kill you if you do this. Actually _I_ will kill you if you do this.”

“What is he planning?” Kairi asked, fearful of the scared look on Roxas’ face.

“He’s going to do a repeat of last year despite the glitter ban,” Roxas explained which really didn’t make things any clearer for the rest of the group. “Sora please see reason.”

Sora didn’t see reason, he continued with his plan and the entire street that Lightning lived on would forever be haunted by memories of what happened during the week of the Strife family’s visit.  


	24. Xmas Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings: Axel/Roxas,

Everything was ready for Christmas day. The house had been decorated (at the start of the month), the tree was up with all the presents laid carefully out under it, all they had to do now was go to bed and sleep until Christmas morning.

At 11pm Cloud went around to remind his brothers to go to bed so they were actually asleep before the clock switched over to Christmas day. It was something that Sora demanded. As kids he believed that Santa wouldn’t deliver their presents unless they were all asleep before midnight struck, now that he knew Santa wasn’t real he just claimed it wasn’t in line with the Christmas spirit. His brothers long ago gave up arguing with him over it.  

Checking all their rooms Cloud found that none of his younger brothers were upstairs. He didn’t think much of that; it wasn’t uncommon for his brothers to end up downstairs watching movies on Christmas Eve. However even after checking every room in case his brothers were hiding Cloud only found Sora, curled up on the couch with some crappy Christmas movie on the TV.

“Sora, where’s your brothers?” Cloud asked and Sora gave a shrug.

“Roxas is at Axel’s… I think? And I don’t know where Ven is and I thought Van was in his room?” Sora replied, glancing up at his brother before returning his attention to the movie.

“It’s eleven at night they should be home by now,” Sora stared up at his brother with mild fear at Cloud’s tone but his older brother didn’t care. The younger four knew he didn’t like it when they were out late at night without him knowing where they would be. Of course there was the other potential reason why his brother could have that look on his face but Cloud liked to pretend he had some authority over his brothers that they actually respected.

“It’s eleven at night!?” Sora asked, dragging his phone out of his pocket to check his brother wasn’t lying for some reason. “Cloud do you know what this means?”

‘They’re in big trouble’ was the answer Cloud wanted, instead he got, “They’ll be awake when Christmas day arrives! You have to go get them before it’s midnight.”

Cloud’s instinctual reply to that command was ‘no’ but then he remembered that it was eleven o’clock on the night before Christmas and he had no idea where his brothers were. “I’ll try,” he replied with instead. He would get his brother’s home but would make no promises about doing so before the clock stuck midnight.

“You should get to bed yourself,” Cloud said, and Sora quickly turned off the TV.

“Please bring them back before midnight Cloud!” Sora begged and Cloud sighed.

“I’ll try, but there’s less than an hour until midnight, I don’t know if we’ll get back before then.”

“Well, try your hardest,” Sora said before wishing his brother goodnight and going upstairs to his bedroom.

After Sora was gone Cloud gave a sigh and went to work trying to find his three wayward brothers.

Roxas was easy enough to find.

A quick text to Reno confirmed that yes, the younger Strife was over at their house.

“Rat,” Axel muttered to his brother when Cloud showed up to drag his brother home if necessary.

“Yo, I learnt when you two started dating not to get between Cloud and his brothers,” Reno said.

Roxas sulked the entire way home but Cloud paid little mind to it. He had told his brothers that they to be home the entirety of Christmas Eve and Day and had given them more than enough warning to expect them to be able to comply. 

Sora had apparently not gone to sleep like Cloud had told him too as he came running down stairs to rant at his twin for disappearing on Christmas Eve and potentially being awake when Christmas Eve turned into Christmas day. Cloud couldn’t even be bothered chipping him for not being asleep himself, really of all his brothers Sora was being the best behaved and the going to bed before midnight was more his thing than an actual rule of Cloud’s.

With Roxas safely guarded by Sora and both boys given the order to ‘go to bed’ Cloud left the house again to try and find the remaining two brothers.

Ven was nice enough to actually answer the phone when called.

“Cloud? What’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“Terra and Aqua’s, why?”

“It’s eleven-thirty at night Ven.”

“Oh?” There was a pause, likely Ven checking the time on some device. “Crap. Sorry Cloud.” Another pause, with a muffled conversation echoing through the phone-line, “Aqua wants to know if you’re coming to pick me up or do you want her to drop me off home?”

“Aqua can drop you off.”

“Okay. Sora’s gonna’ kill me isn’t he?”

“Not if you get home soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that, will you be there when I get there?”

“Don’t know. Do you know where Vanitas is?”

“I thought he was staying in his room tonight?”

“That’s what Sora thought as well.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

“Yeah, still, he’s my twin. Do you want any help finding him?”

“I’ll be fine, get home Ven when you still can reasonably claim to have fallen asleep before midnight.”

“Okay. Night Cloud.”

“Night.”

Cloud trusted that Ven would be home, believed his brother hadn’t intended to be out as long as he had been. It wasn’t the first time a member of their family had lost track of time while visiting friends or lovers and Cloud doubted it would be the last. Plus, he had the much harder task of finding and rounding up Vanitas.

Cloud sent a quick round of texts to his friends and lovers, asking if they were still awake as if they had seen Vanitas (and in Sephiroth’s case knew where his brothers and Vanitas’ common accomplishes were). Sephiroth replied that he did not know where any of them were but Tifa said she had seen them at the bar only twenty minutes ago. She had told them to go home but had the feeling they hadn’t listen to her and instead where up to mischief in the area surrounding her bar (some of her patrons complaining of fresh paint smell in the area and all).

The clock had nearly struck midnight when Cloud finally found the four. He told the Crescent triplets to go home (their brother now knew they were out and would soon be informed of their mischief) and Vanitas was taken back home.

It hit midnight when they walked through the door to their house. Cloud ordered Vanitas to bed and after twenty minutes of ensuring all his brothers had actually fallen asleep followed them.

He technically had gotten them all back before Christmas day, so at least it was something of a win. He doubted Sora would think of it as such though and silently decided to give a vague answer if his brother asked when he got Vanitas home.


	25. Unwrapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four things: One, this was originally going to be split up into like 5 but then part 1 cracked the 1k; Two, this is more a ‘Christmas Morning’ oneshot then a ‘Unwrapped’ one; Three, I wrote this on Christmas Eve, so I WROTE these at the perfect rate just didn’t POST them at it; Four, you might get a porny omake style thing that better fits this prompt… maybe, depends if I get time with family stuff. 
> 
> Warnings: attempted murder of Sora by Vanitas,

It was 6am in the morning. Normally Cloud didn’t mind waking up at that time. He had to do it often enough for his work and never really needed much sleep anyway. Still, he liked to be able to sleep in on the days he wasn’t working, especially after he had a week off work adjusting to being able to sleep until at least 9am.

Sora obviously had other plans.

Really Cloud should have predicted it. It was Christmas day and even if the youngest brothers were the longest sleepers Sora had always been the first to wake on days of celebration. Even Vanitas’ birthday normally started with Sora running around the house waking everyone up for it (and being threatened with bodily harm and death by the birthday boy).

On Christmas he was probably the worst and that was why at 6am in the morning he was in Cloud’s room shaking his brother awake.

“Cloud get up! It’s Christmas, you need to get up!” Sora demanded and Cloud blearily tried to fight off his remaining tiredness.

“I’m up Sora!” he said and grabbed hold of his younger brothers shoulders to stop him from shaking him. “Is anyone else awake yet?”

“Not yet, but soon,” Sora said, moving away from Cloud’s bed to allow his brother to get out of it.

“Sora,” Cloud said, in an attempt to stop his brother from running to his brother’s rooms to wake them up.

“Yes Cloud?” Sora asked.

“Go make me some coffee, then you can wake up your brothers.”

“Okay.” Sora raced from Cloud’s rooms, his footsteps echoing loudly down the stairs. After a minute of talking himself up to it Cloud followed.

Cloud met Roxas in the hallway leading to the stairs, looking just as bleary as Cloud was sure he looked.

“Sora said you were still asleep?”

“You try staying asleep with the elephant rushing around the room in the morning,” Roxas replied and Cloud noticed the energy drink he was nursing.

“They’re bad for you,” Cloud said, snatching the energy drink from his younger brother’s hand but taking a swig of it himself. He wouldn’t drink much of it, with coffee (hopefully) waiting downstairs, but the mouthful would help him get down there to said coffee.

“Hypocrite,” Roxas joking replied holding his hand out and Cloud easily gave the drink back. He really was in no position to chastise his brothers for caffeine addictions.

Sora was hurrying back up the stairs, probably to inform Cloud that his coffee was ready when he noticed Roxas. “Oh, good morning Rox, glad to see you awake!”

“No thanks to you,” Roxas muttered, pushing past his brother to make his way down the stairs.

Sora ignored his brothers gripe and turned his attention onto Cloud, “you’re coffee’s in the kitchen waiting for you.”

“Thanks Sor,” Cloud said, giving his brother a playful (if sleepy) hair ruffle and making his own way down the stairs to the caffeine he desperately needed.

Roxas had apparently claimed the couch. Cloud wasn’t sure if he was trying to return back to the world of sleep or fighting its return with all the energy he currently had (and the extra the drink he was nursing was giving him).

Cloud went to the kitchen to grab his coffee and then joined Roxas on the couch, tapping his brother’s feet so he would move them off to give Cloud room.

“How long do you think it’ll take Sor’ to wake up the other’s?” Roxas asked, shifting so he could use Cloud’s shoulder as a pillow.

“Shouldn’t be too long, we’ll hear when he does,” Cloud replied sure in the fact that Vanitas would attempt to kill his younger brother when Sora woke him up.

“Probably,” Roxas replied, yawning, “I think I might nap ‘till then.”

He didn’t get the chance to even close his eyes as the sounds of yelling and rushing feet were heard upstairs.

“I think Vanitas is awake,” Cloud said as the footsteps raced down the stairs.

“Cloud! Tell Vanitas to put the sword away. Why does he even have a sword Cloud?” Sora shrieked, running behind the couch to try and avoid his brother’s temper.

“For situations like this!” Vanitas replied and Cloud gave a sigh before getting up to wrestle the sword from Vanitas’ grip.

“This is mine now,” he said and Vanitas went to protest. “No, no excuses, you tried to kill your brother, any implement used in such things becomes mine.”

Sora apparently went to his twin from comfort but Roxas was hardly willing to give up. “That’s what you get for waking him up Sor’, you know what he’s like.”

“But it’s CHRISTMAS Rox!” Sora replied as if it justified his actions.

Ven was the last to come downstairs, looking just as tired as Roxas looked, giving Cloud a sleepy wave he moved to the couch to cuddle up next to Roxas. He happily accepted remaining energy drink in the can that Roxas offered him.

“Do you want to unwrap your presents?” Cloud threatened, holding the sword above his head so Vanitas couldn’t reach it.

The answer was obviously, “yes.”

“Then sit down, all of you, and wait for me to go put this sword in my room and we will open presents.” Roxas and Ven didn’t have to move to comply with their brother’s order, already sitting on the couch as they tried to fight of the remnants of sleep. Sora dropped to the ground right where he was as if any delay would make Cloud call off Christmas (if he even had that power). Vanitas stood firm for a couple of seconds before a stare from Cloud broke down his want to defy orders and he made his way over to the other couch, taking up as much room as possible on it.

“Good,” Cloud said, quickly running up and back down the stairs in order to deposit the sword in his room (he would deal with it later).

Seeing that all his brothers were still seated when he returned downstairs (although Sora earned a raised eyebrow for his position on the floor and Ven and Roxas seemed to be nearly asleep on each other) Cloud allowed them up to go get their presents so that they could unwrap them.

Cloud wished he could have slept in a bit longer (a sentiment clearly shared all his brothers except Sora) but he had to admit they’re Christmas mornings were pretty good (attempted murder by Vanitas permitting). 


End file.
